TVC:Book 06:Old Friends, New Beginnings
by VoyagersFan
Summary: As Jeff celebrates his next birthday & takes the first step into manhood, Bogg reconnects with an old flame from his past. The two Voyagers reunite with an old friend and go on a Wild West adventure like no other. Sequel to A Ray of Hope. Revised 03/2010
1. Forward

_**VOYAGERS!**_

**The Voyager Chronicles – Book 6**

**OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS**

**By Dennis A. Daugherty**

DISCLAIMER: Voyagers!, and it's associated characters are registered trademarks of Scholastic Productions, James D. Parriott Productions and Universal-MCA Entertainment. This story is written and provided for entertainment purposes ONLY. No copyright infringement is intended by the author.

**FORWARD**

Hello, friends. It's been quite a few months since my last installment in this series, but for those of you who have waited patiently for me to churn out this one, I only have one thing to say. Your long wait is now over. Hopefully this one will have been worth the wait.

In this, story number 6, I delve a little bit more into Bogg's mysterious past. Specifically the relationship or lack thereof between him and Olivia Dunne. The original TV series touched on it somewhat, in much the same way as it did with Bogg and Susan's relationship. However, it never really explained in any great detail what actually happened to cause the ill will between them. In the first few chapters, we hear the entire story as told by Olivia herself as we finally put this matter to rest.

I have taken the liberty in this story to re-introduce several characters I developed during The Crime of All Time segment, those being: Lindsey Connors, Shawn Mallory and Rosalyn. At this point, a little over a year has passed since we saw them last and we get to see what has transpired in their lives since then.

When I started outlining this installment, I wanted to push the envelope to the extreme as far as humor was concerned. But after a few chapters, I realized that ten or so chapters of humor may become somewhat boring to you, the reader. That's when I took some license to work in a few moments of rather extreme angst. So when it comes right down to it, the pendulum in this story swings to both extremes. This is analogous to baking a cake. You must have some salt in the recipe to accentuate the sweetness of it. On the Kleenex scale, I'd rate these moments as a definite ½ a box full.

In closing, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Phineas Bogg once again for allowing me to reference some of her great ideas as introduced in her Voyager's Aide Trilogy. If you haven't had a chance to read these wonderfully written stories, I highly recommend you do so. But please, read and review this one first. LOL!

For now, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

Dennis

(VoyagersFan)


	2. The Mission

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 1 – THE MISSION**

It was the beginning of another beautiful spring day on planet Voyager. The sun in all its fullness and splendor was at the moment mere inches above the horizon. The sky, awash with a glaze of deep royal blue, seemed to stretch on uninterrupted for infinity. To the west, the light of the planet's two moons had begun to fade as a few, scattered puffy clouds passed leisurely by. In the courtyards of Voyager Headquarters, a cool, yet gentle breeze was stirring the leaves on the trees, as if to nudge them awake after their overnight slumber. As the hour of six grew near, many of the hundreds of employees began to arrive to start their day. Most had decided to take advantage of the fine springtime weather by walking or cycling to their destination.

This day with regard to activities inside VHQ would be a fairly light. Headquarters was currently experiencing the usual lull period which occurred each year in the springtime. As most Voyagers were taught at the Academy, the frequency of timeline errors tends to run in a cycle, with a peak period occurring in the fall and a corresponding decline in the spring. With the decline in mission activity, most of the staff could concentrate their efforts on other areas, such as continuing education, cross-training and taking care of their own.

Even in this relaxed atmosphere, there was still time for matters of a clandestine nature. At a meeting held several days prior with Chancellor Garth, Director Blake, Supervisor Roberts, Susan and Special Operative Olivia Dunne in attendance, it was decided that on this day a top secret operation would commence.

In a large conference room located down the hallway from Mission Control, the sounds of voices and laughter could be heard reverberating from within. Inside, several Voyagers were deeply involved in the planning and decoration for a surprise birthday party. Unbeknownst to all but those closest to him, today was Voyager Jeffrey Jones' 14th birthday. To celebrate this milestone in his life and to show their love and affection for him, his comrades had planned a soiree like none other in the history of VHQ.

"Rosalyn, did we get any streamers?" Susan asked as she rummaged through a box of decorations and supplies.

"Yea, I thought I did. I sure hope they didn't forget to put them in the box before I left the store."

"Never mind…I found them!" Susan exclaimed as she pulled them out of the box and held them in front of her. She stared curiously at the ceiling for a moment, before looking around the room. "Now, where's that ladder when you need it?"

"Honey, I don't think we have a ladder, but would a chair do?" Olivia asked.

Susan nodded and smiled. "Well, it's either that or you could hoist me up on your shoulders. That's the only way a vertically-challenged person like myself is ever going to reach that ceiling."

Olivia, who had been put in charge of blowing up the balloons, stopped for a moment. She grabbed a chair from the table and began to assist Susan with her task.

"Here, hon. Let me help you with that. Besides, I'm taller." Olivia said graciously as she stepped up on the chair. "You just tell me where you want them hung. I'll handle the rest."

"You are just too kind." Susan replied. "If you could start one in that corner and just kinda drape it every three feet or so, I think that'll work out just fine.

"Sure. It's all for a good cause." Olivia remarked. "I can't wait to see the look on little Jeffrey's face when he walks through that door."

Susan walked over and closely observed Olivia's work. "Well, he's not that little anymore. The last time I saw him, he's growing like a weed. I don't know what Bogg is feeding him but, obviously it's working."

The three women chuckled a bit while they continued with their preparations.

"Rosalyn…" Olivia prompted. "What's this I hear about you and a new beau? Anything you want to tell me about?"

At the moment, Rosalyn was busy adjusting a "Happy Birthday" banner on the far wall. Once it was securely fastened, she stepped back to see if it was aligned properly.

"Oh where have you been?" Rosalyn asked as she flashed the wedding ring on her left hand. "It's way beyond that."

"You're married?" Olivia asked.

"Oh…yes!" She replied in a dreamy state. "Shawn is the absolute best thing that's ever happened to me. He's intelligent, kind, gentle and loving. And he has a sense of humor as well."

Susan glanced up at Olivia who was putting the finishing touches on one of the lengths of streamers. "Listen to her…Isn't love grand?"

Olivia shook her head, sighed and laughed a bit. "Yea, it's grand alright. How long have you two been married?"

"We've been together almost a year now."

Olivia continued with her task, undaunted. "I'm surprised the new hasn't worn off by now."

Rosalyn laughed and began teasing her friends. "You two are too much. Hey, you are just jealous… You only wish you had a loving husband like mine."

"He sounds like a good one." Olivia replied with a hint of disappointment in her tone. "You're lucky to have him. Me, I gave up on men a long, long time ago."

"Why Olivia, whatever caused you to do that?" Susan asked with some curiosity.

"I'll tell you what…oh, excuse me…I mean who…caused this to happen." She replied staunchly. "His initials are PB."

Susan lowered a brow, nodded and slowly strolled over to a nearby window, obviously in a state of deep thought. "Hmmm….PB…hmmmm…P…B…"

Suddenly, she knew who the initials belonged to. She whirled about and snapped her finger in the air.

"Oh, I know. You must be talking about that guy you dated at Voyager Academy. Now what was his name…Puuhhh…Puuuh…Paul! That's it, Paul, Paul Brown. That geeky guy with the greased back hair and the horn-rimmed glasses. As I recall, recruiting plucked him from the 50's on Earth."

"Eeeeeuuuu!" Rosalyn exclaimed. "Greased back hair! What a turn-off! I can't believe you would date someone like that!"

Olivia turned to face her friends, sporting a look of contempt as she playfully took offense to the statement. "Well…Ex------cuse me, Miss…Susan... As I recall, I was not the only one who was smitten by Paul. I believe, my dear, you were as well. Also, I seem to recall a rather hot little date the two of you…"

With a hint of crimson now highlighting her cheeks, Susan hastily interrupted her friend's quest to reveal a very private part of her past.

"SHHHHH! Olivia! That will be quite enough!" She said with a laugh. "We just went out and had dinner together. I assure you it was innocent! Nothing happened! Absolutely…nothing!"

Calm down, I'm just teasing." Olivia reassured. "No, the person I was referring to is…Phineas Bogg."

"Phineas?" Rosalyn questioned as she dropped her chin in a state of shock. "Are you sure? I can't believe Phineas would do anything to hurt anyone. He's so kind and loving and…"

"FICKLE!" Olivia interrupted. "He's as fickle as they come. Let me tell you just how KIND he is."

Susan quickly stepped over and whispered in Rosalyn's ear. "I think you and I had better sit down. From the sound of it, I'd say this could take a while and it's not going to be pretty either."

The two put down their decorations and took up residence on a nearby sofa.

"Ok, we're listening." Rosalyn prompted.

With her audience now comfortably seated and wholly attentive, Olivia began her story.

"Well, at one time, I was head over heels in love with the so-called kind and loving Mr. Bogg. We were…let's see know… What was that phrase…hmmm…you know the one they used back on Earth in the 20th Century?

"Are you referring to…'An item?'" Susan asked.

"Yes, that's it! We were…an item. I truly adored him and he absolutely loved me. Or at least that's what I thought. I felt that we were both meant for each other. With each day that passed, our feelings seemed to grow exponentially. And need I tell you 'bout those eyes…"

"Oh yes, he does have those lovely eyes." Rosalyn replied with a sigh.

"Oh…those eyes, those deep blue pools that seemed to go on forever. Every time I would gaze into them, I could feel my heart skip a beat. That beautiful body, those strong, muscular arms and square chin. Just a mere glimpse of him would make me melt."

Susan leaned forward and started fanning herself. "Whew! Is it just me or has someone turned up the heat in this room?"

"It is getting a wee bit warm in here, isn't it?" Rosalyn acknowledged as she patted her face and neck with a tissue.

Olivia continued with her story. "Anytime we were together, he always made me feel special. He would hold me in his arms, look into my eyes and express his undying love for me. For the two of us, it was a match made in Heaven."

"What happened to change your mind?" Rosalyn asked innocently.

"I tell you what." Olivia replied sharply. "Another woman crossed his path, literally."

Susan bowed her head a bit and looked away, somewhat embarrassed by the notion that she was the one who had taken Bogg from her.

"Uhhh…ummm…You must mean me." She mumbled.

"No, Susan…it wasn't you. You came along later." Olivia confirmed. "This happened long ago, during a mission we were on."

"I don't remember you two being paired up for a mission." Susan stated with a puzzled look. "I must have missed that somehow. When did this happen?"

"It occurred several months after our graduation from Voyager Academy. Mission Control had teamed us up to work on special assignment. On one of the missions, we were sent to 18th century England to resolve a problem with the history of the British monarchy. While I was trying to conquer the problem with history, he had planned a so-called conquest of his own."

Rosalyn gasped. "You don't mean…he left you to do the dirty work while he attempted to satisfy his wonton urges?"

"Yep, right first time." Olivia said pointedly. "You see, there was this cute little blond that had caught his attention. And get this… she was a lady in waiting."

Gasps and howls could be heard from the peanut section after Olivia unveiled this unexpected piece of information.

Susan nodded her head and started to speak. "He always did have a thing for blondes. I should know, he never took his eyes off of me at Voyager Academy."

"What happened next, Olivia?" Rosalyn asked. "How did you find out about his little rendezvous?"

Olivia continued, speaking in a rather sarcastic and condescending tone. "Well, ladies, it's like this… I discovered THE kind and loving PHINEAS BOGG, by accident, in a secluded room inside the castle.

"He THOUGHT he had covered all his tracks!" Olivia continued as she stood with her hands on her hips, nodding her head with an air of contempt. "He didn't count on me passing by the door of the little secret room he had found. And when I did, I couldn't help but overhear the sweet nothings he was spouting off to her. So I stopped for a moment, pressed my ear firmly against the door and continued to listen. "

"Tell us…what did you hear?" Susan asked.

"Why the ultimate in lame pickup lines." Olivia quipped. "Here's an example."

"'Oh you are soooooo beautiful! I want to be your knight in shining armor and I want you to be my Queen. Come, let me hold you in my arms and partake of your sweet lips. They are like red, ripened cherries, luscious and full.'"

Susan and Rosalyn were now roaring with laughter. After a few moments, they finally regained their composure.

"We're sorry, Olivia." Susan said as she attempted to make up for their rather uncaring response. "You don't mean he actually said that stuff to her?"

"Yes! And unfortunately for me, I heard every word." Olivia quipped.

Rosalyn nodded her head in disbelief and started to giggle. "I can't believe he could do such a thing. Did he really think she would fall for all that…that…mush?"

"I really don't know what he was thinking." Olivia replied sternly. "Or for that matter, IF he was even THINKING at all!"

"After hearing all that garbage, I slowly opened the door to take a peek inside. And was I ever taken by what I saw next."

"What? What did you see?" Rosalyn exclaimed impatiently. "Don't keep us in suspense!"

"Well, those two were in a passionate embrace and a lip-lock that would have even made Casanova blush."

Susan and Rosalyn began to howl and laugh at this latest revelation from their friend.

"That figures." Susan said in a light-hearted manner. "Good ol' Phineas… He was never one to pass up a kiss from a beautiful woman. For that matter, he was never good at commitments either."

"Unfortunately, I had to figure that one out the hard way." Olivia ranted. "At that moment, Mr. Bogg heard the sound of my footsteps and turned to find me standing just inside the doorway. I was in tears, devastated by the fact that my Phineas had another woman in his arms. He saw me crying and instantly realized what he had done."

"As I stormed out the door of their so-called secret hideaway, he dropped the young wench and ran after me, trying his best to explain and apologizing profusely. But, it was too late for apologies. I grabbed my omni, flipped open the lid and began to fumble with the dials as the tears continued to roll down my cheeks. Finally, I set it to the first place I could think of and disappeared, leaving him to finish the assignment. "

"Oh, Olivia." Susan said empathetically. "I can only imagine how you must have felt. I'm so terribly sorry. But one thing you must realize…that's just Phineas. When it comes to women, he can't help himself. He loves women, all shapes, all sizes and in all time periods. You can't help but love him though, in spite of his addiction. Besides, just be glad you found this out before you walked down the aisle with him."

The now distraught Olivia walked over and sat down on the sofa between her friends. Reliving this incident again had obviously taken its toll on her emotions. She leaned forward and bowed her head as she cupped her chin in her hands.

"I know…Susan…I know." She replied somewhat downtrodden. "It was for the best. But I can't help how I feel about him. On one hand, I truly love him and on the other hand, I just wanna punch his lights out for what he did to me that day."

Susan leaned over and rubbed Olivia's back in a consoling fashion. "Please, whatever you do, don't let that one incident change your entire outlook on men."

Rosalyn, feeling the hurt and anguish in her friends' voice, took Olivia's hand in her own and patted it in a gesture of consolation and support. "Like she said, don't give up on men too quickly. You'll find your ideal man. He's out there right now looking for you."

Olivia raised her head and smiled at the two. "You two are such great friends. Who else could I discuss my problems with if wasn't for the two of you?"

Susan nodded at Rosalyn, winked and smiled a bit before turning her attention back to Olivia.

"Well, when it comes to Phineas Bogg, your psychiatrist, perhaps?" She said with a chuckle as she held out her hand.

"What?" Olivia asked, somewhat puzzled by her friend's outstretched hand.

"My fee…" Susan replied as she attempted to hold back her laughter.

"Your fee?"

"Yes, my fee for listening to your problems. I charge by the minute."

The three looked at each other and laughed.

"Ladies, you know if we don't back to work soon, Jeff will be an old man by the time we finish here." Susan urged with a smile.

Olivia climbed back onto the chair and continued hanging streamers. Susan and Rosalyn covered the table with a beautiful tablecloth and finished setting it for the guests. After several minutes of silence, Susan chimed in.

"Oh Rosalyn?"

"Yes."

"Did I hear correctly that Shawn will be graduating from Voyager Academy on Thursday evening?"

Olivia paused for a moment with streamer in hand and turned her attention to Rosalyn.

"Shawn…a Voyager?" She asked curiously. "Why am I always the last one to know these things?"

"It's no big secret." Rosalyn replied. "He's been at the Academy for a year now."

"So I guess congratulations are in order."

"Yes, thank you. Shawn graduates Thursday night. He's so excited… He can't wait to get his hands on that omni."

"He's graduating after only a year?" Susan said quizzically. "How?"

"Shawn enrolled in the new accelerated Voyager recruit program." Rosalyn explained. "The old program took several years to complete. This new program allows you to finish in about a year."

Olivia stepped down off the chair as she began to reminisce about the past.

"I remember how I felt after graduation. Once you get that omni, you feel like you can take on the whole universe. After your first assignment though, you begin to see things in quite a different light."

"Oh…I kinda wondered if that would happen." Rosalyn acknowledged.

"By the way, do either of you know what class this is?" Olivia asked.

"Class of 07." Rosalyn replied.

Olivia shook her head. "Gosh that makes me feel old. Susan, how many years has it been now, you know, since we graduated?"

Susan, also feeling her age at the moment, graciously came up with a suitable answer.

"Too many, I'd say."

"You two ARE coming to the ceremony?" Rosalyn asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't dare miss it." Olivia stated.

"Yes, I'll be there" Susan announced. "Besides, our guest of honor and his new dad will be attending as well."

Olivia who was at the moment shocked and puzzled by the words she had just heard, turned her attention to Susan. "Dad?"

"Oh…and where HAVE you been, Olivia?" Susan asked. "Yes…dad! Phineas officially adopted Jeff several months ago. It was his Christmas present to him."

"A commitment? You're kidding, right? Phineas Bogg actually MADE a commitment? I really didn't think he had it in him."

"Well, he did." Rosalyn concurred. "and I saw the official documents myself."

At that moment, a rather petite lady arrived at the door pushing a large serving cart. She was dressed in a white uniform and apron, with her hair neatly tucked under a hairnet. She knocked on the door and smiled as she announced herself.

"Excuse me." She said softly.

"Yes, may I help you?" Susan asked.

"Is this where the birthday party is being held?" She asked.

"Yes!" Olivia replied.

Rosalyn quickly ran over and stood in front of the cart as she introduced the lady to her colleagues.

"Susan, Olivia, this is Mrs. Daly. She works in the cafeteria. I take it this is 'the cake?'

"Yes, ma'am, this is it." Mrs. Daly acknowledged.

"Oooooh…Can we see it?" Olivia asked.

"Why sure?" Mrs. Daly said as she reached over and slowly removed the large silver lid covering the cake.

Underneath the ornate cover was a huge sheet cake covered in white buttercream frosting. In the center stood a large omni made of gold frosting and marzipan, its lid open and its green-light beaming. Underneath the omni were the words of the Voyager credo. "Time Waits for No Man." To the left of the omni were the words, "Happy Birthday, Voyager Jones! 14 years and still counting. This beautiful confection was for all intents and purposes a true masterpiece of craftsmanship. The detail that went into creating it was overwhelming.

"Oh my word, how absolutely beautiful!" Susan exclaimed as she gazed at the confection.

"Wow!" Olivia shouted. "What a work of art! It's so beautiful…who would want to eat it?"

"Mrs. Daly, It's just perfect. You did remember to make it chocolate?" Rosalyn asked.

"Yes, ma'am. It's chocolate." Mrs. Daly acknowledged. "I remember you told me chocolate was his favorite."

"How did you ever create such an exact replica of an omni?" Susan asked.

Mrs. Daly nodded her head and smiled a bit. "Well, it's like this. We called the Omni Lab upstairs, told them what we were doing and asked if they could send us a picture of an omni to go by. Well, when they found out who this cake was for, they ended up sending us one of their technicians instead."

"I can't believe it." Rosalyn said as she nodded her head. "They sent you a technician?"

"Why yes… And he was not just any ordinary technician, either. " Mrs. Daly replied with astonishment. "He may know lots about omnis, but this young man sure knew his way around our kitchen. For a moment, we all thought he was a professional chef. We found out later that he loves to cook and bake and has been doing so for years."

"Then what?" Olivia asked.

"Well, ladies. For three hours, we stood and watched him as he created his masterpiece. We were amazed by what he was doing. He would roll out strips of marzipan and fondant, form it into a shape and place it just where it needed to be. And it fit the very first time. It was like he was building a model from scratch with nothing to go by. After three hours of rolling and cutting out pieces, he had built an omni that looked like the real thing. We called his supervisor and informed her he had done such a great job, that we had decided to keep him in the kitchen with us."

"You and your associates did an excellent job on this one." Rosalyn complimented. "Our thanks to you all. This is absolutely beautiful."

"Yes, this is fantastic!" Olivia exclaimed. "He's just gonna love it, too."

"You said it." Susan replied. "I can just see those little red cheeks now."

"Ladies, it's quite heavy. Have you decided where you want to put it?" Mrs. Daly asked.

Rosalyn turned her attention to her two friends and asked. "Do you think it will be ok in the center of the table?"

"Yea, sure." Susan and Olivia responded in unison.

Mrs. Daly reached over and took hold of one end of the tray.

"Here, let me help you." Susan insisted as she took hold of the opposite end and the two carried the cake over to the table and placed it in the center. Mrs. Daly then covered the cake with the large silver cover.

"Rosalyn, I'll be back later with the punch. I would have brought it with the cake, but there was no room left on the cart."

"That's fine, Mrs. Daly." Rosalyn acknowledged. "Thank you ever so much."

"Mrs. Daly took hold of her cart and slowly pushed it out the door.

"This is so exciting!" Olivia exclaimed. "I just can't wait for Jeffrey to get here, even though I COULD do without seeing Bogg again."

"Olivia!" Rosalyn quipped. "Can't you put aside your feelings for awhile for Jeff's sake?"

"I'll try, but I can't promise." Olivia replied snidely.

"Speaking of Bogg…has anyone spoken with him?" Susan asked.

"I spoke to Lindsey at Mission Control yesterday." Rosalyn explained. "She told me to let them know when we were ready and they would reassign Bogg and Jeff's mission to someone else and get them back here."

Olivia turned and noticed the time. "I'd say we better get over to Mission Control and put the plan into action. According to that clock over there, we only have a couple of hours left before the party starts."

"Right!" Rosalyn replied as she and Olivia walked toward the door.

"Coming, Susan?" Olivia asked.

"You two go ahead. I've got a few things to finish up here. I'll be there shortly."


	3. Life's Little Surprises

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 2 – LIFE'S LITTLE SURPRISES**

Olivia and Rosalyn walked down the hallway until they reached the door to Mission Control. As they opened the door and went inside, Mission Specialist Lindsey Connors glanced up from her console and noticed the two standing just inside the doorway. She pushed herself away from her desk, stood up and ran over to greet them.

"Olivia! Rosalyn!" Connors shouted. "Welcome to Mission Control."

"Thank you Lindsey. You know, this is my first time here." Rosalyn replied as she looked around the room in awe. "Wow, what a huge operation!"

"Lindsey, thank you for all your help with our little plan." Olivia said.

"Olivia, it's my pleasure, especially since it's for Jeffrey. Rosalyn, we will have to take you on a tour of the place in the future." Connors replied. "I take it the party arrangements are complete?"

"Yes," Olivia acknowledged. "Everything is ready."

"Where's Susan?" Connors asked. "I thought she'd be with the two of you."

"Oh, she's in the conference room tying up a few loose ends." Rosalyn responded. "She should be here shortly."

"I take it you are ready for me to summon the guest of honor and his dad." Connors asked.

"Yes, we're ready to implement phase two of our plan." Olivia confirmed.

"Can we stay and watch?" Rosalyn asked.

"Why sure…Come with me." Connors replied as she turned and quickly walked over to her console and sat down. Rosalyn and Olivia followed and then grabbed some nearby chairs and pulled them over next to their friend.

"Ok, are we ready to do this?" Connors asked.

"Yes, there's no time like the present." Olivia urged. "Lindsey, how are you going to get the two of them back here without raising Jeff's suspicions?"

"That part, I haven't figured out just yet."

Connors pressed a few buttons on her keyboard and the mission detail for Bogg and Jeff scrolled up on her screen.

"Looks like they've completed their assignment in London, 1902, I wonder why they are still hanging around?" She said with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Connors typed in a command on her keyboard and a window popped up in the middle of the screen. Suddenly, video images of the two Voyagers could be seen in the window. As the three observed intently, they noticed Bogg was now chasing his partner down the road in an attempt get his omni back from him.

"Looks like a whole lot of horseplay to me. Wouldn't you say?" Olivia asked.

"Humph. Well, we'll soon put a stop to that." Connors replied staunchly as she pressed a few more keys on her keyboard. At this point, a microphone popped up from a small door on top of her desk.

"Oh, that's neat!" Rosalyn said in awe. "I'd like one of those on my desk. Do you think the guys over at Voyager Technical could arrange that?"

"I don't see why not." Connors replied. "I'll have to put in a good word for you."

After leaning over to the microphone, Connors pressed a small red button on her keyboard and started to speak.

"Voyager Bogg, Voyager Bogg!" She barked as she attempted to hold back a laugh. She then paused for a moment and continued to observe the events that were unfolding on the screen in front of her.

The younger Voyager, who was sprinting down the road as if being chased by a hungry lion, suddenly heard the sound of Connor's voice and almost fell to the pavement as he attempted to come to an abrupt stop. While he stood there and attempted to catch his breath, Bogg quickly arrived at his side. Somewhat miffed by Jeff's childish prank, he gave his young partner a stern look as he extended his hand in front of him. Jeff rolled his eyes and grinned sheepishly as he handed the omni back to him.

"Voyager Bogg, this is Mission Control. Do you read?"

Bogg looked over at Jeff and chided. "Ok, kid, now you've done it. It's Mission Control and they are on to your little prank."

Upon hearing this, Rosalyn, Olivia and Connors burst into laughter.

"Yea, go ahead, Bogg! When all else fails, blame the kid!" Olivia said with some sarcasm.

Bogg flipped the lid on the omni, pushed a small button and responded.

"Mission Control this is Voyager Bogg. What's the problem?"

"Voyager Bogg, this is Mission Specialist Connors…"

Olivia leaned over and put a hand on Connor's arm. "Lindsey, wait! I've got an idea!" She whispered.

"Voyager Bogg, stand by." Connors quickly replied before turning her attention to Olivia.

"Ok Olivia, what's this idea you have?"

"Well, I've got an idea for a little horseplay of my own. Are you game?" Olivia asked.

"Sure, I love a good practical joke." Connors agreed.

"Ok, here's what you need to do. Tell Bogg that you have been monitoring him at the request of Director Blake. After his latest bit of horseplay, the Director would like him to report to Mission Control for a disciplinary hearing and review." Olivia said with a mischievous look and a chuckle. "That'll get him shaking in those brown boots for sure."

Rosalyn nodded her head and put on a large, mischievous smile. "Oh, Olivia, you are sooooo bad!"

"Oh this is a good one." Connors agreed. "If I know Bogg, he'll be so nervous after hearing this he'll scarcely be able to control himself."

Olivia cackled with laughter. Several technicians in the area heard the noise the women were making and came over to see what was going on.

"You know, he may just have a little accident." Olivia said snidely as Susan came walking up behind the three.

"If that's the case, I sure hope he has some extra clothes with him." Susan said warmly.

"Susan!" Connors exclaimed. "It's good to see you again. Glad you could make it. You were about to miss this wonderful prank we are about to pull on Bogg."

"A prank? C'mon now. I thought we were trying to get Phineas and Jeffrey back here for the party."

"That's the whole idea, Susan. " Olivia responded. "We are just going to take it one step further."

Susan turned to Olivia, somewhat bewildered. "Why would you want to do that to Phineas?" She asked. "Is this some sort of payback for that incident in the castle?"

"Because we can and he deserves it." Olivia replied in a devious way. "And yes, you could call it payback.

Susan nodded and smiled a bit. "Ok, so what do you three have in mind?"

Olivia glanced up at Susan and quickly explained. "We are summoning him back here at the request of the Director for disciplinary action. There's been far too much horseplay from the two of them as of late."

Connors glanced back at her three cohorts and said, "Ok, shhhhhh, control yourselves. I'm gonna give him the bad news." She then leaned over to her microphone and pushed the red button once more.

"Voyager Bogg, this is Mission Control."

"This is Bogg. Go ahead."

"It has come to the attention of the Director that several Voyagers out in the field are spending entirely too much time involved in unproductive horseplay. Voyager Bogg, at the request of the Director, I have been monitoring your recent mission activity. " Connors said before releasing the red button and bursting into laughter.

A few moments passed before Connors finally regained her composure. She turned to her three friends with a straight face and then again burst out laughing.

"Shhhh! Shhhhh! " Connors said to the three while trying to suppress her own laughter. "We've got to get control of ourselves and finish this. Otherwise he'll think something is up."

After a few moments, the three regained their composure as they continued to watch the events unfold in front of them.

Out in the field, Jeff looked up at his partner and began to rub his nose in it with passion.

"Bogg, what have I told you about goofing off while we are on assignment? Now you've done it. The higher-ups have been watching and you're in BIG trouble."

Olivia gasped and began to cheer for her young colleague. "You go Jeff! That's telling him… I knew there was something I liked about you!"

Bogg nodded his head, somewhat irritated. "I'm in big trouble? Smart kid! I'll have YOU to know, I'm not the only Voyager here who's been goofing-off." He said as he poked his partner on the shoulder to emphasize his every word. "Who was the one that took my omni from me? Huh? And need I remind Mission Control of YOUR botched attempt to hypnotize me?"

Jeff lowered his head as he began to regret his previous statements. "Uhhh…no…I don't think so." He said in a sullen tone.

Connors continued. "Voyager Bogg, on several occasions it has been noted both you and your partner have been engaged in unproductive horseplay while out in the field. As a result, the two of you are to report to Mission Control immediately for a disciplinary hearing and review with the Director."

Suddenly, Bogg's color began to fade as a look of fear and uncertainty came over him. "Uhh…Mission Control, umm…your message received and understood." Bogg replied sullenly. "We'll be arriving shortly. Bogg out."

"Mission Control out." Connors said as she terminated the conversation.

"Bogg?" Jeff said as he tugged on his arm. "This sounds really serious."

Bogg put his hand on Jeff's shoulder as he attempted to reassure him. "Kid, what can they do to us? We have to have a little fun every now and then." He said with a small quiver in his voice.

Back at Mission Control, the four women inched themselves ever closer to the screen. Unable to pry their eyes away from the events unfolding in front of them, they continued to observe the reactions of their colleagues as the wheels of their prank were set into motion.

"Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"What now kid?"

"What's a disciplinary hearing and review?"

Bogg cleared his throat and took a deep, cleansing breath as he tried to put aside the thoughts that were now traversing his mind. Being an experienced Voyager, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what was involved in a disciplinary hearing and review. It was every Voyager's worst nightmare and an event that went way beyond the scope of anything his partner had ever experienced; including Drake's trumped up charges at the Voyager Tribunal. Even though Jeff had matured quickly during the time they had spent together, Bogg knew all too well he was not ready for the whole truth about this. So, to keep from upsetting his partner unnecessarily, he decided it would be best if he remained calm and only explained the high points of the event to Jeffrey at this point. With this, Bogg began to put aside his fears and angst and within moments had summarily reached the point of near-perfect emotional self-control. Unfortunately, in light of all his efforts, his body language was speaking volumes.

"Look at Bogg!" Connors exclaimed as she pointed to the screen. "Look at him, ladies! He's already beginning to freak out about it."

While hiding his trepidation behind a somewhat gallant mask, Bogg turned to his partner and started to explain. "Kid, they are just gonna call us into the office and yell at us for goofing off. Then they'll give us a lecture on how to be good little Voyagers. After they've slapped us on the wrist, they'll tell us not to do it again and let us go back to work."

Upon hearing this somewhat lame explanation for such a serious event as a disciplinary hearing and review, the four women began to howl at what they had done.

"Yea, right!" Olivia yelled at the screen. "A slap on the wrist? Bogg, who are you trying to kid?"

"Go ahead, Bogg, lie to the kid!" Connors exclaimed. "Give him a false sense of security!"

"He knows all too well what's involved in a disciplinary hearing." Olivia said boldly. "He's trying to be the brave Voyager but his fear is beginning to show through his little act."

"I'm just glad he's not telling Jeff the whole truth." Rosalyn said. "I believe Jeff would really be upset if he knew the real truth."

Susan turned and put her hand on Rosalyn's arm. "Rosalyn, it's ok. Bogg and Jeff have been through something quite similar a couple of years ago."

"Oh, you mean the tribunal." Rosalyn replied. "I heard all about that."

Jeff looked back at Bogg. "I hope you are right, Bogg. But, it sure sounds like we are in a really big heap of trouble."

"Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine." Bogg reassured. "Besides, I'm Phineas Bogg, you know. I've got everything under control. Now come on, let's get going."

Bogg set the dials on the omni and the two disappeared from the screen.

Moments later, the two miscreants had arrived outside the doors to Mission Control.

"Well, here we are! You ready?" Bogg asked.

"Yea, I guess." Jeff replied with mixed feelings. "If I'm gonna be disciplined and reviewed, I guess I'm ready to get it over with."

Bogg put his arm around his partner, opened the door and the two bravely walked inside. As they entered the room, they stopped suddenly upon seeing Lindsey, Olivia and Rosalyn sitting at the console, with Susan standing behind them.

"Susan?" Bogg asked, with a puzzled expression. "What are you doing here?"

Susan graciously strolled over and put her arms around the Voyager as she pecked him on the cheek.

"Phineas, it's good to see you again." She said softly before turning her attention to Jeff.

"Jeff, it's good to see you too. My, you are growing like a weed."

Jeff's cheeks flushed with color. "Yea, I am getting older. Besides, today is my 14th birthday."

Upon hearing this stunning revelation, Bogg stood there somewhat statuesque, his mouth fully agape. After a few moments, he glanced over at his partner with a puzzled look, before turning his attention to the others in the room.

Rosalyn ran over to greet the two. "Jeff, did I hear you say today was your birthday?"

"Rosalyn, you too?" Bogg asked in amazement.

"Hi Phineas!" Rosalyn said as reached over and hugged him.

Olivia stood up, walked over to her former lover and threw her arms around him. Not expecting this kind of greeting from an old flame he had scorned, he stood there motionless, his body stiff and his arms at his side.

"Phineas…uhh… it's good to see you again." Olivia whispered.

"Uhh…ummm. Good to see you too, Olivia." Bogg replied somewhat indifferently

At this point, Lindsey Connors made her way over to join the group.

"Well, now that the reunion is over, I think we have some urgent business to attend to. Voyager Bogg, would you please come with me?"

"Good to see you too, Lindsey." Bogg quipped. "Always business you know…no time for levity."

"Bogg, to use your vernacular, there's been way too much levity from you and your partner during the past several missions. " Connors replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Now please come with me."

"What about me?" Jeff asked.

Connors looked at the young voyager. "Voyager Jones, we will meet with you shortly in the conference room down the hall. For now, please wait here!"

"But Bogg?" Jeff exclaimed.

"Kid, it's ok." Bogg reassured. "We're already in enough trouble as it is. For once, just do as you're told. I'll see you in a little bit, ok?"

Jeff bowed his head as Connors escorted Bogg into a nearby office and closed the door behind him.

Susan walked over and put her arm around the young Voyager. "Jeff?" She asked warmly. "Why don't we all take a walk out in the courtyard and get some fresh air? You know, this could take a while and we have a lot of catching-up to do."

"I guess. But I'd rather be with Bogg." Jeff answered in a sullen tone.

"I know. But you can't do anything to help him now." Rosalyn replied. "He's on his own with this one."

Susan, Rosalyn and Olivia escorted the young Voyager down the hallway. After taking the elevator to the ground floor, they casually strolled out a side door and into the beautiful expanse of the courtyard. Meanwhile, inside Mission Control, Connors was letting Bogg in on the little secret and the prank they just pulled on the two of them.

"What?" Bogg shouted in disbelief as he paced aimlessly around the room. "It was all a joke? Lindsey, what did I ever do to you to deserve this?"

"Calm down, Phineas." She pleaded. "We had to get you two back here somehow without raising Jeff's suspicions. In the interim, we were just having a bit of fun with you. Ok?"

Bogg continued to pace about the room with anger in his eyes, his emotions getting the better of him.

"A bit of fun!" Bogg yelled as he spun about and threw his hands in the air. "I could think of other things that are more fun than a disciplinary hearing and review. You know that is a Voyager's worst nightmare."

"Phineas…Please…calm down, ok?" Connors asked softly.

"You want ME to calm down?" Bogg quipped angrily.

In an attempt to put a stop to his incessant pacing, Connors raced over and stood in the path of her friend and colleague. She then put both hands out in front of her and planted them firmly on his chest.

"Phineas, please…sit down and let me explain."

Bogg turned and stomped over to a small conference table, where he pulled out a chair and sat down. He leaned back in the chair and casually propped his boots upon the tabletop.

"Here I am." Bogg said with a hint of a smile as he raised his hands in the air. "I'm calm…I'm sitting down and I'm listening, ok? Now, what's this mission with Jeff you are talking about?"

Connors walked over, pulled out a chair next to him and sat down. In a caring manner, she grasped his hand and gently rubbed it as she attempted to calm his anger.

"Phineas, please…look at me."

Bogg slowly turned to his friend. His eyes were full of emotion.

"Phineas, I'm so sorry. If I had known this would have upset you so, I'd have found another way to get you both back here. I hope you will forgive us all for our brief moment of insanity."

Bogg bowed his head and for a while, remained silent.

"Phineas, you know how much we all love Jeff." Connors stated, the tone of her voice soft and reassuring.

The mere mention of his son's name had now extinguished the flames of anger that were blazing inside of him. "Yes, I know. I love him too." Bogg replied sullenly.

"And you do know today is his 14th birthday, correct?"

Bogg dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward in his chair as he nodded his head. "No…I mean…yes, but… Well at least not until a few minutes ago. I didn't know anything about it. The little pain never even bothered to tell me. Besides, I totally forgot. I bet he's thinking I'm a real bum right now, not remembering his birthday?"

"That's ok, Phineas, we've got you covered." Connors reassured.

"You do, how?"

"Well, a few days ago, Chancellor Garth convened a meeting with me, Susan, Olivia Rosalyn, and the Director. He knew Jeff's birthday was fast approaching and wanted to do something special for our youngest recruit."

Bogg was impressed. "Wow, I didn't realize just how popular the little guy is." He said in amazement.

"As I've said before, your son is loved by all here. Well I say all, but there are a few like Drake of course who have other feelings. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the meeting… We met and it was decided to throw a big surprise birthday party for Jeff."

"A party?" Bogg asked. "With a big ol' cake and all the trimmings?"

"Yes, with a big ol' cake and all the trimmings." Connors said with a laugh.

Bogg's eyes lit up. "The kid's gonna love this. When's the party?"

"Well, within the hour. Everything is ready. All we needed was to get the guest of honor here. Now that he's here, all that's left is to gather the remaining guests in the conference room down the hall."

"Theres' just one problem, Lindsey." Bogg said softly.

"What's that, Phineas?"

Bogg folded his hands in his lap and looked down at his feet. "I don't have anything to give him." He said in a dejected tone.

"Phineas, don't even give it a second thought. I anticipated that, so, after we contact all the guests, we'll drop by the gift shop and you can pick out something for the little guy."

Bogg slowly raised his head as he attempted a bit of a smile. "Well, he's obviously not a 'little guy' anymore."

"I know that all too well." Connors acknowledged as she stood up. "Besides, what are you feeding him? He's growing like a weed."

Bogg stood up and looked at his colleague. "Lot's of beef jerky."

"What?" Connors exclaimed in amazement. "Beef jerky? C'mon, he's a growing boy. He needs balanced meals with lots of veggies, not old dried up cowhide."

Bogg began to chuckle. "Lindsey, I'm just teasing. I assure you. The kid get's three squares a day and believe me, I know, because I have to sit across the table and watch him shovel it in. And does he ever shovel it in."

Connors pointed her finger at the Voyager and shook it aggressively. "You better be teasing or you'll have me to contend with. And if you think a disciplinary hearing and review is bad, you haven't seen anything yet. Got it!"

"Yea, I got it, alright!"

"'Nuff said, now let's get going." Connors urged. "We don't have much time left."

The two left the confines of Mission Control and proceeded to make their way throughout the building, gathering the remaining guests. With each area they entered, it was like a homecoming for Bogg, a grand reunion of sorts. There were shouts of glee, tears and hugs as many of those whom Bogg hadn't seen in years were overcome with emotion at the sight of him.

Once this emotional roller-coaster ride was over, the two went promptly to the gift shop, where Connors assisted Bogg in picking out the perfect gift for his son. After about 20 minutes of browsing through the shop, the perfect gift presented itself to him.

"So Lindsey, what do you think of my gift?", Bogg asked his friend as he waited patiently for the clerk to wrap the small box that contained it.

"It is beautiful, Phineas!" Connors replied. "It's perfect. Now that Jeff is officially a Voyager, I know he will just love it. Where are you going to hide it until the party?

"Lindsey, I'm gonna put it right here in my pocket." Bogg replied with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. "Jeff won't notice. He'll just think I replenished my supply of beef jerky."

"What is it with you and the beef jerky? Is that all you ever eat?"

"No, it's a pirate thing… I eat other stuff also." Bogg teased. "You know, like lizards, bugs and the occasional banana or two."

"Eeeeewwwwww! You eat bugs?" Connors exclaimed as she slapped her friend on the shoulder. "Did you really have to tell me that? Especially since we'll be eating in a little while."

"Owwwwww! Did you have to hit me that hard?" Bogg yelled as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Yes, I did." Connors quipped. "Anyone who eats bugs needs to be slapped a few times."

"Oh really?" Bogg said as he smiled at his friend. "Why is that?"

Connors nodded her head and smiled a bit. "Well, anyone who eats bugs needs to have some sense slapped into them. That's why. Now, if you've finished with the detailed description of your dietary habits, I think we need to get going. Otherwise, Jeff will be 15 by the time we get to his party."

"I'm sorry Lindsey. I was only teasing." Bogg said with a hint of remorse. "I don't really eat bugs."

"Whew, I'm glad to hear that." Connors replied with a overwhelming sense of relief. "Now come on, let's get out of here."

The two left the gift shop and casually walked down the hallway headed toward the elevator. While en route, they began to discuss old times, past assignments and managed to get caught up on the latest gossip at Voyager Headquarters. As they approached the door to the courtyard, suddenly it swung open as Jeff, Susan, Rosalyn and Olivia stepped inside.

"Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed as he ran toward him.

"Hey, kid!"

"What happened?" Jeff asked impatiently. "Is everything ok?"

"Yea, everything's great."

"So did they slap your wrists?"

"No, I got off with a warning this time." Bogg explained as he glanced up and winked at the four ladies.

"What about me?" Jeff asked.

"Ummm…let's see now." Bogg said as he stroked his chin. "You know, we talked about so many things. Oh, I remember now. They decided they didn't need to see you this time. However, they wanted me to give you a message."

"A message?" Jeff asked curiously.

"Yep."

"What's the message? Tell me Bogg!"

"They said to tell you 'they were watching. So you better be on your best behavior.'" Bogg said as he smiled at Jeff.

"Oh." Jeff replied with some concern.

Olivia looked over at the two. "Hey you two, now that the hearing is over, I've got something I you need to see. Do you have a moment?"

Bogg and Jeff looked at each other, somewhat puzzled. "Yea, Olivia." Bogg replied. "I think we can spare you a moment. Right kid?"

"No problem."

"It's in the conference room down the hall from Mission Control." Olivia informed the group as she walked toward the elevator nearby.

The group followed in Olivia's footsteps as she boarded the elevator and returned to the floor where Mission Control was located. As soon as the doors opened, she quickly stepped out and turned to face her colleagues.

"Gentlemen, Ladies, if you will please follow me." She asked as she casually strolled down the hallway toward the conference room. Once she had arrived at the door, she stopped and turned to Jeff.

"After you, Jeffrey." Olivia urged. "Open the door and go inside."

Jeff paused for a moment as he nervously took hold of the handle. "I'm not gonna be disciplined and reviewed, am I?" Jeff asked.

Bogg stood in the background, attempting to keep a straight face as this whole scenario unfolded. As Jeff looked back at him to get some reassurance, Bogg quickly turned his head away and coughed to keep from giving away the big secret.

Susan stepped over and put her hand on his shoulder. "No, Jeff, it's nothing like that. Just open the door and go in."

Jeff took hold of the door handle, unlatched it and cracked it open. Inside, the room was dark and quiet. Not knowing what to expect next, he threw open the door and went inside. Suddenly, the lights were switched on and a whole room full of his friends and comrades yelled "SURPRISE!"

As those inside burst into a chorus of Happy Birthday, Jeff stood there completely overtaken and shocked by it all. Susan, Olivia, Lindsey and Rosalyn each took turns kissing the young Voyager and wishing him a happy birthday.

"Come here, kiddo!" Bogg shouted with a smile.

Bogg quickly grabbed his partner, threw him up on his shoulders and paraded him around the room as the crowd continued to sing.

A few minutes later, Counselor Garth made his way to the front of the room and graciously motioned for the crowd to calm. Once there was silence, he began to speak.

"My fellow Voyagers and friends. We are gathered here today to celebrate yet another milestone in the life of our youngest recruit, Jeffrey Jones."

The room burst into a short bit of applause and then became silent.

"Today, my friends, is Mr. Jones' 14th birthday. You know, it wasn't all that long ago, when I had the opportunity to meet young Jeffrey for the first time. It was during one of Drake's awful tribunals. Even during that terrible trumped-up ordeal, with Bogg and his own fate hanging in the balance, he was brave and kept his wits about him. As I sat there on the bench, I realized just how intelligent this young lad was and thought to myself, 'he'd make an excellent recruit.' Well, my friends, with the help of Susan here, we all discovered he was meant to become our youngest Voyager recruit. In my humble opinion, he has proven his worth not only to Voyager Bogg, but to everyone here at Voyager Headquarters as well. I'm sure, once he has completed his hands-on training with his dear-old dad here, he'll be welcomed at Voyager Academy with open arms."

Chancellor Garth paused for a moment and looked at the guest of honor who was still sitting atop his partner's shoulders.

"Jeffrey, on behalf of the Prime Minister and everyone here, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your extraordinary efforts to date and to wish you a very happy birthday and many more to come. Now, let's all eat and celebrate!"

The crowd burst into applause. Bogg lifted his partner down from his shoulders, put him on the floor and kneeled in front of him.

"Happy birthday, kid!" He said as he put his arms around his son and hugged him.

"Thank you Bogg!" Jeff replied as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I thought you had forgotten about it."

Bogg released his partner, looked him square in the eye and smiled somewhat. "To tell you the truth, I did forget. I'm so sorry. I know you must think I'm a real bum."

"Bogg, it's ok! Really!" Jeff reassured. "I should have dropped you a hint or something."

Bogg smiled. "Well, I won't forget it next time."

"Jeff." Susan called out. "It's time to cut the cake."

"The cake?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, the cake." Susan said as she lifted the large silver cover off the cake.

Jeff's eyes lit up at the site of the cake with the large omni on top. "Wow! What a cake? I don't think I've ever had a cake like this before."

"It's all for you, kid." Bogg said softly as he looked at Jeff and smiled.

Jeff walked over to the table and picked up the large cake server in his trembling hand and cut the first piece for himself. As he slowly placed it on his plate, the piece slipped off and landed upside down. Upon seeing this, those in the immediate area began to laugh.

"Wait a minute, Jeff." Rosalyn prompted. "Here, let me get you another piece. One that's not upside-down."

"That's ok, Rosalyn." Jeff reassured. "This is fine. Besides, it doesn't matter if the frosting is on the top or on the bottom, just as long as it's somewhere around."

Bogg laughed. "That's my kid! Clickety-clack! Always thinking!"

Jeff reached over and cut one more piece, this one being for Bogg. He slowly lifted the piece of cake from the tray and placed it upright on a plate. He picked up the plate and handed it to him.

"Here Bogg, this one's for you." Jeff said.

"Thanks, kid." Bogg replied as he picked up a fork and winked at his partner.

"Jeff, since you're the guest of honor, why don't you and Bogg go over and have a seat on the sofa?" Olivia urged. "Susan, Rosalyn and I will help with serving the guests."

"Sure, thanks." Jeff replied as he and Bogg went over and sat down.

"So, kiddo. How's it feel to be 14?" Bogg asked as he took a bite of his cake.

Jeff paused in thought for a moment, before attempting a response. As he attempted to speak, his lips moved, but no sound came out. Bogg put down his plate and stared at Jeff, surprised and somewhat concerned.

"Jeff, what's wrong?" Bogg asked. "Are you ok?"

Jeff cleared his throat and again attempted to respond."

"B---ogg! I do—n't know." Jeff said as he struggled to pronounce each word. With every attempt he made at speaking, his voice would crack and squeak. "May—be I have laryngitis."

Bogg suddenly realized what was happening to his partner. It had been a while, but he remembered all too well the squeaky, mouse-like tone from his own teenage years.

"Kid, it's not laryngitis." Bogg reassured.

"It's not? Then what's wrong…with me." Jeff asked, as he tried his best to keep from breaking the glass in the room with his high pitched squeal.

Bogg put his hand on his son's shoulder, reassuringly. "Kid, as much as I hate to say it, you are becoming a man."

"I am?" Jeff asked, somewhat puzzled. "I thought I already was."

"Not quite yet." Bogg replied as he began to explain. "However, this change in your voice is the first step, though."

"Will I sound like this forever?" Jeff asked with concern in his squeaky tone.

"No. You will squeak for a while. As you get your voice back, the tone will gradually get deeper over time."

"So, in other words." Jeff squeaked. "When this is finished, I'll have a voice like yours?"

"Well, yes and no." Bogg replied. "Your voice will get deeper, but may or may not be as deep as mine. That's nothing to be concerned with though."

"What happens next?" Jeff asked curiously.

"Well, kid, you'll start growing hair on your face and chest and in other places where you never had hair before."

"Oh great!" Jeff squeaked as he rolled his eyes. "I always wanted to be a gorilla."

"That's ok, kid. Bananas are really cheap these days." Bogg said with a chuckle. "and that'll leave more jerky for me."

Jeff shook his head in disbelief. "What a comedian." He quipped. "Next thing you know, you'll have me swinging from the trees outside."

Bogg laughed. "There'll be no swinging from the trees until you are an adult gorilla."

"Seriously, Jeff. Some men grow lots of hair and some don't. You may be one of those who don't."

"And then what?" Jeff prodded.

Bogg continued to explain. "Over the next few years, your body will quickly begin to change. You will grow taller. You will get stronger as your muscles become more developed and you'll develop a true love for those of the opposite sex."

"Al—right!" Jeff exclaimed and squeaked. "Looks like you're gonna have some competition!"

"Calm down, kid. Let's not get too carried away." Bogg said with a smile. "It'll be a while before you reach that step."

"What's next after that, Bogg?" Jeff asked.

Bogg put his arm around Jeff and continued to explain as he tried his best to hold back his laughter.

"Hmmmm…let's see now… Oh yea! After that, you will grow big feet, develop a huge craving for beef jerky and your nose will grow every time you tell a lie."

"C'mon Bogg!" Jeff said in amazement. "Pinocchio? You can do better than that."

Bogg laughed. "I'm was kidding about the big feet."

"Funny, Bogg… very funny." Jeff said as he nodded his head and took another bite of cake.

"There are a few other things…ummm… that will happen during this time that I have purposely left out here. All men, including myself have had to go through this little ritual of sorts. It's a part of growing up and becoming an adult. But let me say this, if you have any questions about anything, don't be embarrassed to ask me, ok? There is no such thing as an embarrassing or stupid question. Got it?

"Yea, I got it." Jeff replied. "Is it too soon to ask my first question?"

"Nope, go ahead, ask away." Bogg urged.

"Ok, how old were you when you kissed your first girl?" Jeff asked innocently.

Bogg looked at his partner, nodded and then smiled a bit. "What a stupid and embarrassing question, kid!"

Jeff went on the defensive. "I thought you said there were no stupid or embarrassing questions." He exclaimed in a high-pitched squeal.

"That was before you asked THIS stupid and embarrassing question." Bogg quipped with a chuckle.

"C'mon, give it up. How old were you?" Jeff teased.

"You really want to know?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, really!"

Bogg sat silently for a moment, staring at his cake before he finally spoke up.

"Ok, I'll tell you…Fifteen." He confessed.

"You were fifteen?" Jeff asked in a state of disbelief. "C'mon, who's nose is gonna be growing now."

"I assure you, kiddo, I was fifteen when I kissed my first girl" Bogg implored.

"What was it like?"

"Painful!" Bogg said quickly.

"Painful? What do you mean, painful?" Jeff asked.

"Just like I said, it was painful."

"How can a kiss be painful?" Jeff teased.

Bogg, at this point was feeling rather uncomfortable as he attempted to satisfy Jeff's curiosity without opening himself up to scrutiny.

"Well, it can be painful, especially when the other person involved doesn't want to be kissed."

"What?"

"Kid, are there any grains of sand left between those ears of yours?" Bogg said with some intensity. "Let me put it simply, I kissed her and she slapped me… 'nuff said."

"Oh…" Jeff replied while trying to hold back his laughter. He then looked at his partner and cocked his head as some interesting thoughts came to the forefront of his mind.

"I'll like girls, huh?" Jeff asked now occupied by his thoughts. "So when will this be over…I mean, when will I officially be a man?" Jeff asked with a grin.

By this time, Bogg knew where Jeff was going with this question, so he just had to inject some additional humor into the conversation.

"Oh, you'll be finished and officially become a man, I'd say, somewhere around the age of thirty."

Jeff's chin dropped upon hearing his partner's answer.

"Thirty? You've got to be kidding, right?" Jeff asked. "You…are…kidding…right?"

Bogg smiled and winked at his son. Out of nowhere, Susan walked up and stood beside the two.

"My, aren't you two being quite serious. This is supposed to be a joyous occasion. What's wrong?"

"Susan, Jeff has just received a rather unexpected birthday gift." Bogg explained. "He's taken the first step to becoming a man."

"What?" Susan asked with a puzzled expression.

Jeff looked at her and tried to explain. However, he only spoke a few words before his voice got the better of him.

Susan gasped. "Oh my, Jeffrey! I'm so sorry. What a terrible thing to happen on your birthday."

"Yea, it's a real bummer." Jeff squeaked.

Suddenly, Bogg remembered the gift he had gotten for his son. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, wrapped box.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here kid, this is for you."

"For me?" Jeff asked excitedly. "Bogg you really didn't have to get me anything."

"Kid, just stop your squeaking and open it, ok?" Bogg said with a smile.

Jeff tore the wrapping on the small box and then opened the lid.

"It's a…it's a…ring?" Jeff said curiously.

Bogg leaned over and pointed to the insignia on the ring. "And not just any old ring, look at the insignia."

"It's the Voyager logo with the words 'Time waits for no man' written beneath it." Jeff exclaimed with delight. "Wow… Thanks Bogg!

"Now that you are a member of the Brotherhood, you have to wear the official Voyager ring."

"Where's your ring, Bogg?" Jeff asked as he slipped it on his finger.

"Well, kid, I lost it several years ago during a mission."

Jeff put his arms around Bogg and hugged him. "This is neat…Bogg. I love it."

"You are very welcome, kid."

Rosalyn came over and joined the group on the sofa.

"Rosalyn?" Bogg asked. "How's Shawn doing?"

"Oh, he's doing great. That's what I come to talk to you about." Rosalyn replied. "I was wondering if you and Jeff will be available on Thursday evening."

Bogg looked over to his partner and raised his eyebrows. "Well, I don't think the kid and I have any plans at this point. Why?"

"Well, Shawn graduates from Voyager Academy that evening." She explained. "We really want the two of you to be there, that is, if you are able to."

"Geeze, Rosalyn. It's seems like he enrolled only yesterday." Bogg said with a look of surprise. "It hasn't been two years already?"

"No Phineas. He enrolled in a new accelerated program. It only takes about a year to complete this new program."

"Wow, a Voyager after only a year. That's terrific, Rosalyn!" Bogg exclaimed. "Right now we're between assignments, so you can count on us attending for sure. Right kid?"

"Right!" Jeff squeaked.

"What's wrong with Jeff's voice?" Rosalyn asked.

"You know how caterpillars turn into butterflies." Bogg replied as he tried to suppress his laughter.

"Yes, Phineas we learned that in primary school." Rosalyn acknowledged. "What does that have to do with Jeff and his voice?"

"Well, my partner here is turning into a mouse." Bogg said as he smiled and punched Jeff on the arm. "Isn't that right, squeaky?"

Jeff looked at Bogg, rolled his eyes and grimaced, but said nothing.

Bogg turned his attention back to Rosalyn. "No, seriously, his voice is beginning to change." Bogg explained. "It's a guy thing. Now, enough about squeaky's voice…Has Shawn picked out his preceptor yet?"

"What's that, Phineas?"

"A preceptor is an experienced Voyager who kinda goes along with a new graduate and helps him through his first mission. You know, to answer questions and such."

"I don't know if he's picked one yet, but I'm sure if he picks anyone, it will be you, Phineas." She said warmly. "He thinks the world of you and credits you for helping him to become the person he is today."

Some color began to appear in Bogg's cheeks. "I really didn't do that much. I just pointed him in the right direction. It was his own efforts that brought him this far."

"I know Phineas, but still, if it hadn't been for you, who knows where he would have ended up."

"Yea, Rosalyn, I know. He came very close to becoming yet another of Drake's pawns. Luckily for all of us, Shawn finally saw through his little deception and had a change of heart.

"Yes, he was lucky. He was very fortunate to have found you when he did. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for being there and helping him." Rosalyn said as she reached over and kissed Bogg on the cheek.

Bogg smiled brightly as his partner rolled his eyes and nodded.

Olivia put her plate down on the table, walked over to the sofa and sat beside Bogg.

"Bogg." Olivia said with a lukewarm tone.

"Olivia." Bogg replied in monotone.

The two sat there for a moment, silent, as they stared at the guests who were enjoying the party.

Sensing that Bogg and Olivia probably needed some time alone to iron out their differences, Rosalyn looked at Jeff and tapped him on the arm.

"Jeff, why don't you and I go and get some more punch? Ok?"

For a brief moment, Jeff did not quite understand what was going on. Rosalyn nodded at him and raised an eyebrow to signal to him something was up.

"C'mon, Jeff. Let's get some punch."

"Uhh…..ummm….ok." He squeaked as he and Rosalyn rose from their seats. After a short stroll across the room, the two stood in front of the punchbowl and inconspicuously observed their two friends. The young Voyager picked up an empty cup and held it as his friend ladled up some of the red concoction.

"Rosalyn, what was that all about?" Jeff asked.

"I believe Phineas and Olivia needed some time alone, you know, to work out their differences." Rosalyn replied.

"Differences? Oh boy do they ever have differences. Which ones do you suppose they'll be trying to work out?"

'Shhhhh! Not so loud, they'll hear you." She warned. "Well, it's a long story but as I understand it, they were once an item. That is until your dad made a big mistake."

"Oh, let me guess… Dear ol' dad got sidetracked by another woman."

"Wow! Chancellor Garth was right, you are one smart cookie." Rosalyn said in amazement.

"It's no big secret." Jeff continued. "Bogg will fall for any woman. Trust me, I know. I've seen him in action."

Suddenly, Rosalyn looked at the two former lovers and noticed they had started talking to each other. She then nudged Jeff with her arm.

"Hey, look! They're talking! At least it's a start. Maybe they can resolve their differences after all."

Jeff shook his head and muttered to himself. "I wouldn't count on it."

"Jeffrey!" She exclaimed in disbelief and slapped the young Voyager playfully on the arm. "I can't believe you said that!"

Jeff briefly rubbed his arm and went on the defensive as he attempted to explain the reasons for his skepticism.

"I can't help it! You just had to be there. I've seen it all before. You know, Bogg and Olivia attempting to make up and all. Every time they meet, it's like watching a movie. It starts and ends the same way each time you see it. They talk. They kiss. They argue. She slaps him and walks away, leaving me to put humpty-dumpty back together again."

"Maybe this time will be the exception." Rosalyn said with a hint of hope in her voice.

"Like I said, I wouldn't count on it."

Over on the sofa, Bogg was feeling the awkwardness of the moment, being alone with an old flame. He grimaced a bit and then looked over at Olivia.

"So, Olivia, what have you been up to here lately?" Bogg asked with a bit of a cheesy smile.

Olivia faced her former lover and answered tersely. "Not much. I just got back yesterday from a major assignment."

"Oh." Bogg replied in a sort of nonchalant manner and then again became silent.

"Why?" Olivia quipped.

"I just wanted to know."

"I don't mean that, Phineas." Olivia said curtly. "Just tell me why?"

"Huh? Why what?"

"Why did you do it, Phineas?" She asked again.

"Do what?"

"You know what!" She exclaimed. "Why did you have to go and ruin what we had together?"

"Ooooohhhhhh, that." He replied as he slowly bowed his head in shame.

"Yes, that." Olivia quipped. "What did she have that I didn't?"

Olivia had now put her former lover on the spot. Bogg knew all too well he was in trouble as the extreme pressure being exerted on him had caused beads of sweat to appear on his brow. Not knowing exactly how to respond, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Nothing…'livia…"

"Why did I say that?" He thought. "'Nothing?' What was I thinking?"

With this, the grilling continued, only now Olivia had turned up the heat. Bogg was not going to escape this one easily. With his previous one-word answer, he had all but sealed his fate.

"Must have been something, otherwise you wouldn't have held her in your arms and said all those things to her?"

"I don't know. I guess I was just overtaken by her beauty." Bogg replied with some intensity to his tone. He cupped his head in his hands as he was once again embarrassed by his inappropriate behavior long ago.

"What about me?" Olivia asked. "Did you not think I was beautiful? Why didn't you whisper those sweet nothings to me?"

Bogg slowly lifted his head. With extreme emotion, he attempted to again undo the damage he had done so many years ago.

"I never said you weren't beautiful, 'livia. I whispered those things to you on many occasions. Don't you remember?"

"No Phineas. I don't remember." Olivia snapped as a tear emerged from the corner of her eye. "My memories were shattered with the sight of that wench in your arms."

"I told you, it was a mistake. I was weak. I allowed the urges of the flesh to cloud my judgment. As I said back then, I'm sorry I hurt you…I didn't mean to do that. He exclaimed before bowing his head in silence.

After a few moments, he again raised his head and looked deep into Olivia's eyes. Tenderly, he reached over and wiped the tear from her cheek as he moved closer to her.

"'livia, you were the love of my life. I loved you with all my heart." He whispered softly.

"And I loved you too, Phineas." She softly whispered back to him. "To this day, I still have feelings for you."

"And I still have feelings for you, too."

The two gazed into each other's eyes and continued to talk through their problems.

"Look at them." Jeff whispered to Rosalyn. "If they get any closer, they'll be able to rub noses."

"I'd say. You know, that's how Eskimo's do it or at least that's what I've been told." Rosalyn replied. "Now look!"

At that moment, Bogg put his hand on the back of Olivia's neck and gazed deeply into her eyes. The two drew even closer to one another and began to kiss, passionately.

Jeff nodded and rolled his eyes, not believing the scene unfolding in front of him. After a few moments, Rosalyn looked at the young Voyager and began to rub his nose in it for his bit of skepticism.

"Well, Mr. Birthday Boy, I'd say they have officially made up. Don't you think?"

"Looks that way." Jeff acknowledged.

Rosalyn giggled a bit. "No one was slapped and humpty dumpty is still in one piece."

"C'mon, I think we need to crash their little party." Jeff announced as he took off toward the sofa.

"No, Jeff, wait!" Rosalyn yelled as she chased after him.

Jeff strolled over to the sofa and sat down quietly next to his partner. He watched for a moment as Bogg and Olivia were continuing to make up. Once he had seen enough, he cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Ahh…ummm" Jeff interjected.

Startled by his partner's less than subtle method of getting his attention, Bogg slowly pulled away from Olivia and turned to find Jeff sitting beside him with a huge grin on his face.

Now a little bit annoyed, Bogg raised his brow and whispered. "Hey, kid… Can't you see I'm busy here."

"Yea, I can see that and so can everyone else in the room for that matter." Jeff chided. "You are making a spectacle of yourselves and besides, I'm the guest of honor here. If anyone should be getting any action, it should be me."

"Ahhhhh, poor kid." Bogg teased. "So sad… Here you are on your 14th birthday and longing for a little bit of action. I'm so sorry, kid. Here, let me try and make it up to you."

"How Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"You see, I've heard there's this cute little girl here who's just been dying to meet you. She's about your age. As a matter of fact, she has her eyes on you right now.

Jeff craned his neck as he attempted to catch a glimpse of this new love interest. "Where, Bogg? I don't see her…Where is she?"

"Shhhhhh, kid. You are gonna embarrass her. Now listen. I believe what she really wants to do is to plant one on you. If you know what I mean." Bogg whispered as he winked at his partner.

Jeff stood up and continued to survey the room. "I still don't see her Bogg. If you won't tell me where she is, I'm going to find her myself!"

"Whoa there, kid!" Bogg whispered as he reached over and pulled his partner back down onto the sofa. "You can't just go running up to her. You might scare her. What you need is someone to go over and introduce the two of you."

Bogg glanced at Olivia and winked. "Isn't that right, 'livia?"

"Oh yes, that's the gentlemanly thing to do."

"C'mon kid. I'll take you over and introduce you to her. But first, you must close your eyes."

"Ok" Jeff said as he closed his eyes tightly.

Bogg grabbed his partner by the arm and led him across the room where an old Voyager friend of his was sitting alongside his seeing-eye dog.

"Excuse me, but the guest of honor would like to get a kiss from your beautiful partner." Bogg said while trying to hold back his laughter. "Do you have any objections to her granting his wishes?"

"The old Voyager, smiled a bit and replied. "Why sure, Phineas. I don't think she would mind at all. Matter of fact, she loves to kiss anyone who comes in contact with her."

Jeff, upon hearing this, started grinning from ear to ear.

"Ok, kid. Now's your big chance." Bogg whispered to his partner. "You're a bit taller than her, so you'll need to get down on your knees. She's a bit shy, so keep your eyes closed."

Jeff slowly got down to his knees.

"Ok, Bogg, I'm ready. What do I do next?"

"Well, what do you think?" Bogg said comically. "Pucker up, of course."

Jeff parsed his lips into a pucker and waited ever so patiently for his prize.

"Ok, he's ready." Bogg said to his friend. "She can let him have it now."

The old Voyager smiled, then released his grip on the leash and the dog jumped on top of Jeff and began to lick his face, incessantly.

"Oooooh, yuck! Stop! Get away! Stop that!" Jeff exclaimed as he tried to get away.

Bogg laughed at his partner until he almost lost his breath. The remaining guests noticed what was going on and the whole room erupted in laughter.

Finally after a little bit of struggle, Jeff got to his feet and took off running after Bogg.

"Bogg! Wait 'till I get my hands on you. Just wait! I assure you it won't be pretty."

"As you have said in the past, kiddo, 'You'll have to catch me first.'" Bogg shouted as he ran around the table.

Jeff stopped for a moment, held up his hands and yelled over to his partner. "No problem!"


	4. Stagefright

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 3 – STAGEFRIGHT**

Three days had passed. It was now Thursday evening. Inside the grand and ornate auditorium at Voyager Headquarters, preparations were complete for the commencement exercises of the latest class to graduate from Voyager Academy. With less than an hour remaining before the start of the ceremony, many guests, family members and VIPs began to arrive and make their way inside to take their seats. In the pit, the prestigious Grande Symphony Orchestra of Planet Voyager with their conductor of some twenty years Johann Josef Mozart, (no relation to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) was now tuning up in preparation for tonight's grand event.

Outside in the crowded corridor, Bogg and Jeff had arrived early and were patiently awaiting the arrival of the other members of their party, specifically, Olivia, Susan, Rosalyn and Shawn Mallory. The two, seemingly out of character without their usual Voyager attire were dressed to the nines in matching black tuxedos, top hats and patent leather shoes. As they stood casually in front of a large white gardenia, the handsome father and son duo looked as if they were posing for the front cover of GQ Magazine.

"Bogg, did we really have to wear all this garb?" Jeff asked as he tugged at his collar.

"Would you quit that!" Bogg whispered impatiently.

"But, it's tight and it itches!" Jeff quipped.

"Here, let me see if I can loosen your tie." Bogg said as he sat down in a nearby chair and pulled his partner over to him. "We can't have you running around here all night digging around in your collar."

"I wouldn't have to dig if I had worn my regular clothes." Jeff barked as he rolled his eyes.

Bogg shook his head and grimaced. "Ok. Have you seen anyone here in striped shirts and sneakers?"

"No, but…"

"Okay then…'nuff said."

Bogg loosened Jeff's tie a bit, then reached around and straightened the collar of his coat. After smoothing back a few stray locks of hair, he put his hands on his partner's shoulders, smiled and winked at him.

"How's that, my little handsome guy?" Bogg asked.

Jeff turned his head left and right. "That's feels much better."

"What? Don't I at least get a thank you?"

"A thank you?" Jeff quipped. "For what?"

Bogg grinned a bit. "Well, I did loosen your tie."

"You make it sound like you walked a hundred miles before you did it."

"Just forget it, kid." Bogg grumbled as he turned his head away. "Smart kids in tuxedos give me such a pain!"

The young voyager grinned before responding to his partner. "Yeah, right. Like I haven't heard that line before!"

As the two continued their playful banter, the grand exterior doors of the building suddenly opened. As several guests quickly moved out of their path, one by one, Susan, Olivia and Rosalyn stepped inside. Elegantly dressed in long and full-flowing evening gowns, they were the essence of beauty, pure and simple. A mere glimpse of them was simply breathtaking.

"Hey look!" Jeff exclaimed as he pointed to the door. "They're here!"

Bogg turned to get a look. "Wow! Would you get a look at them?" He whispered as he was overtaken by their beauty. "Talk about a fashion statement."

"Where's Shawn?" Jeff asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"I don't know kid. Surely he came with them."

The three women slowly walked away from the entrance, then paused for a time as they scanned the area and whispered amongst themselves. After a few moments the huge doors again slowly opened, revealing the young Mallory. As a member of this year's Voyager graduating class, he was dressed in the traditional royal blue gold-trimmed cap and gown, which he wore with pride. Making his way inside, he walked over and stood next to his guests. He paused for a moment to join in their conversation while Rosalyn picked the stray lint off his attire.

"Any signs of Bogg and Jeffrey, Olivia?" Susan asked.

"No, not yet." Olivia replied. "No, wait! I see them. Over there! To the left! They're standing next to that large bush."

Susan craned her neck to get a glimpse of her friends. "A bush, Olivia? I don't see a bush."

Olivia pointed off in the distance. "Over there, Susan. You see that big bush with all the white flowers on it?"

"Ok, I see them now." Susan acknowledged. "And that's not a bush, it's a Gardenia."

"Well whatever it is, they are standing next to it." Olivia quipped. "And you guys are not gonna believe this. They're dressed in tuxedos and top hats."

Susan stood silent for a moment, with her mouth agape as she continued to stare at the unbelievable sight of her friends. "Oh my word, Olivia. You weren't kidding. I've never seen two more handsome guys. They look absolutely fabulous."

Olivia nodded. "You know, they do clean up quite nicely. And I must say. I've never had the pleasure of seeing a pirate dressed in a tux."

"Looks like they've spotted us." Susan said as she began to walk toward the two. "C'mon ladies, let's get a closer look."

Mallory turned to Roz, a puzzled look now on his face.

"Now I know what it feels like to be 'one of the girls.'" He said with a chuckle.

As their guests approached, Bogg quickly stood up and performed one last check of his attire. Jeff turned to pick up a small white box from a nearby chair.

"Ready with the corsages and boutonnieres, kiddo?"

"Ready, Bogg."

"Good. C'mon, let's go." Bogg said as he and Jeff walked toward their guests.

"Shawn Mallory!" Bogg exclaimed as he reached out to shake his hand. "It's good to see you again. I guess congratulations are in order."

"Phineas!" Mallory shouted as he embraced his fellow Voyager. "It's good to see you again too. And yes, congratulations are in order, thanks to you of course."

"Shawn, I really didn't do anything, you're the one who did all the work."

"I never pictured you as the modest one." Mallory teased. "Well, you may not claim you did anything, but you did. It's a debt I feel I'll never be able to fully repay."

Mallory looked down at Jeff and began to tease him.

"Who's this guy all decked out in his top hat and tails?" Mallory asked. "Tell me Phineas…you didn't go and get yourself a new partner now did you?"

"Nope." Bogg replied as he winked at his friend. "He's the same ol' boring partner I've had all along."

Jeff elbowed his partner in the side. "Same ol' boring partner huh? Just wait, I'll show YOU who's boring."

Mallory laughed. "Ahh, now that's the Jeffrey Jones I remember. I knew he was hiding somewhere under all the trimmings. How's it going guy?"

"I'm ok, I guess." Jeff responded with a little squeak in his voice.

"What's this!" Mallory exclaimed. "He sounds like…oh no, don't tell me, he's turning into a mouse."

Jeff bowed his head, somewhat embarrassed as a little bit of color began to brighten his cheeks.

"Shawn, stop teasing Jeffrey." Rosalyn chided as she walked up to his side and slapped him on the arm. "You know all too well what he's going through."

"No, he's not turning into a mouse, he only sounds like one." Bogg explained. "He's just had his 14th birthday and this was an unexpected birthday gift."

"Roz told me about that." Mallory said with some remorse. "Jeff, I'm sorry… I was just teasing. You should have heard my screechy voice when it happened to me. I sounded like a raptor stalking its evening meal."

Jeff continued to look down at his feet and mumbled with a disconsolate tone. "It's so embarrassing to squeak like this."

"I know Jeff. We've all been through it. I assure you, it's only temporary."

Mallory extended a hand to his young friend. "Still friends?"

Jeff slowly reached for his hand and shook it. "Yea, it's ok."

"Just think Jeff. In a few years, ol' Phineas here won't be able to push you around anymore." Shawn teased. "You'll be as big and strong as he is. When you say BOO, he'll run like a scared cat."

"C'mon Shawn, don't give him any ideas, ok?" Bogg said with a chuckle. Besides, I can handle him. I'm Phineas Bogg, the pirate, remember?"

"Yea right!" Jeff replied sarcastically. "I can't wait to take you on a few years from now."

Bogg doubled up his fists and began to shuffle his feet. While throwing play punches at his partner he started talking like Mohammed Ali.

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee…" Bogg chanted as he smiled and threw a few more punches. "And the kid's on the floor, one, two, three."

"If you were trying to scare me with your imitation of Mohammed Ali, I can tell you, it didn't work." Jeff teased. "Besides, that has to be the worst impression of him I have ever heard."

The smile disappeared from Bogg's face as he now lowered his head, playing as if his feelings were hurt. "I thought my imitation of him was quite good."

"If you're trying to be an actor, don't quit your day job." Jeff quipped.

"Kiddo, we'll talk more about this later, one on one, ok?" Bogg teased, before turning his attention to the three gorgeous ladies in his midst.

"Ladies, you are looking quite stunning this evening." Bogg remarked with his usual bit of charm and panache.

"Why thank you, Phineas." Susan replied softly.

Olivia chimed in. "Yes, thank you, Bogg. I was wondering if you were ever going to notice."

"Notice? How could anyone not notice such beauty as it walked through those doors?" He said in a valiant attempt to stroke their egos. "And now, for the icing on the cake so to speak. Kid…the box please."

"Sure." Jeff acknowledged as he picked up the white cardboard box and opened the lid.

Bogg reached inside and pulled out three beautiful white corsages and pinned one on each of the ladies.

"Oh Phineas, you are such a gentleman." Olivia exclaimed in disbelief. "What a pleasant surprise!"

Impressed by Bogg's thoughtfulness and generous gifts, the three ladies began to converse amongst themselves and admire their gifts. Meanwhile, Bogg reached into the box and pulled out a single white carnation and pinned it to Mallory's lapel.

"Here, Shawn, this is for you."

"Uhhh…thanks…I…guess." Mallory replied somewhat perplexed by Bogg's gift. "This has to be a first. I've never had a man give me flowers before."

"Well, Shawn, we can't have you going up on stage to accept your certificate looking like a slob now, can we?" Bogg teased as he looked at Mallory, winked and then grinned a bit. "Oh and one other thing. Remember, we're just friends you know. That's it! Just because I gave you flowers, this doesn't mean we're going steady or engaged or something, ok?"

"Oh…no…certainly not!" Mallory exclaimed, a bit unnerved by the prospect. "Besides, I'm already taken and she's the jealous type."

"Good! I just wanted to clear up any potential for a misunderstanding." Bogg said with a grin.

"Guys, if you've quite finished with your male bonding ritual, I think we should go inside." Olivia quipped. "It's almost time for the ceremony to begin."

"Sure, 'livia. We gotta get a good seat you know." Bogg replied.

Mallory turned and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Phineas, I'll see you later. We have much to talk about once the ceremony is over."

"Ok…sure." Bogg replied. "Good luck to you!"

Shawn walked over to his beautiful wife and kissed her. "I'll see you later also. I love you, Roz."

"I love you too, Shawn." She echoed as she kissed him and then wiped the lipstick from his lips.

As Mallory walked away to prepare himself for the ceremony, Bogg turned to the three ladies and held out both arms in escort fashion.

"Ladies, shall we go inside?" Bogg asked.

"Olivia and Susan latched on to each of Bogg's arms and they slowly walked inside the auditorium leaving Jeff and Rosalyn behind.

"Hummmph!" Rosalyn said with some disappointment. "Hey! What about me?"

Jeff looked up at Rosalyn as he held out his arm in a gentleman-like manner. "I may be a bit young, but I do know how to walk." He said with a smile. "Shall we go inside?"

"Why Jeffrey, I'd be delighted to have a handsome man like you at my side." Rosalyn commented as she took hold of Jeff's arm and the two strolled inside.

Once inside the ornate auditorium, Rosalyn and her guests hurried down the aisle and took a seat in the third row just as the lights were beginning to dim.

Suddenly the curtains of the stage opened and the Voyager Grande Symphony Orchestra began playing the all-too familiar piece by the composer Elgar, 'Pomp and Circumstance.' As the orchestra played, one by one the graduates of the class of '07, clad in their royal blue robes, gold sashes and mortarboards, proudly walked out onto the stage and sat down. Fifteen minutes later, Mallory finally got his turn and came through the side curtain. Rosalyn and her guests jumped to their feet and began to applaud, shout and whistle as he made his way across the stage and sat down.

As the last of the 100+ members of this Voyager graduating class took their seats, Chancellor Garth walked out to the podium and began to speak.

"_Fellow Voyagers, friends, and family members. I'd like to welcome you to the commencement ceremony for the Voyager class of '07. My dear friends, this marks a significant milestone in the training of new recruits here at Voyager Academy. With this, the seventh graduating class of the new millennium, you are looking at a rather unique group of individuals here. This is the first group of recruits to complete the new accelerated Voyager Training Program. For those of you who are not familiar with this new program, let me take this opportunity to explain further. Since its inception, Voyager Academy has always followed the traditional curriculum for training a Voyager recruit. On average it takes about 2 years for the average person to complete this program."_

"_A little over two years ago, while analyzing some personnel data, we noticed a very unusual trend in the numbers. As the population of Voyager field personnel continued to age, the number of new graduates each year had yet to keep up with the number of field personnel lost due to voluntary retirement. Upon seeing this obvious imbalance, we knew we had to do something to close this gap or face some very serious problems in the future. After many meetings, countless debates and discussions, the administration and instructors at Voyager Academy set about to develop a fast-track curriculum for Voyager training which would take the average recruit only about a year to complete. As a result of their tremendous effort, we now see the fruits of their labors. Those who sit on this stage at this moment, after only one year, will walk out of here tonight with their omnis and guidebooks in hand, ready to experience what it truly means to be a Voyager."_

"_I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate each and every one of the graduates on a job well-done. My only wish for you at this moment is the best of luck and the greatest of success in all of your future endeavors. Now, with that said, I'd like to introduce to you this year's class valedictorian, Miss Kristen Fogle."_

The audience burst into applause as Miss Fogle came out to the podium.

"Hey, Bogg!" Jeff whispered as he nudged him on the arm.

"What, kiddo?"

"She's cute, don't you think?"

"Yea, she's cute alright, but a little bit too old for you." He said with a chuckle.

"I wasn't talking about me." Jeff whispered sarcastically. "I meant for you."

"Oh, right!" Bogg replied before Olivia looked over and shushed him to be quiet.

Miss Fogle began her speech.

"_Thank you Chancellor Garth. My fellow Voyagers, classmates, friends and family. I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight to witness the culmination of a year's worth of sweat, hard work and dedication. It was almost a year ago that we set out on our journey to take on one of the most important jobs ever created in the universe. That being the role of a Voyager. When we walked into Voyager Academy for the first time on that day, the vast majority of us here had no clear-cut idea as to what being a Voyager was all about. We only knew, from the stories we were told and the information we were taught in primary school, this special group of individuals traveled through the barriers of time and space to repair problems with history. It seemed like a glamorous job, or so we were made to believe. However, once we made it through the first round of classes, we were soon met by the realization there's much more to being a Voyager than the all-encompassing glamour and glitz."_

"_Being a Voyager is much more than the ability of traveling to and fro across the time barriers. It is a commitment. A commitment to making sure that the timeline remains intact and that history unfolds the way it should. In our pursuit to correct and maintain the historical timeline, we must also be willing to overcome our fears, set aside our own beliefs and do things which may seem to be at the very least, irrational. Some events in history do not make sense, but that is how it must be. The senseless wars, the terrible tragedies and the lives lost which shouldn't have been. Those things, as much as we want to do so, we cannot change. To do so would invariably change the timeline and thus change history as it is written."_

"_It is a huge responsibility we now have placed upon our shoulders. It is one which will test the very foundations of our education as well as temper our resolve. However, we must not waiver in our stance. We must be firm. We must be strong and above all, we must be brave. We must strive for perfection in every assignment we take on. We must have compassion to our fellow men as well as our comrades. We must be willing to accept total responsibility for our actions, both good and bad. We must be prepared, if the need arises, to make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the many. All these things, we must do, without question, without hesitation for the good of all those people who are ultimately affected. This, in a nutshell, is the sum total of what a true Voyager is."_

"_In closing, I want to take this opportunity to thank those who have guided us on this journey for their exhausting efforts, their friendship and most of all their wisdom. It is my sincere hope for all of us, as we leave this auditorium tonight, to go forth and make each and every one of them proud of our future accomplishments and endeavors. Thank you."_

The audience burst into applause as the valedictorian returned to her seat. As the crowd quieted down, Chancellor Garth returned to the podium as his assistant rolled a cart full of documents and omnis out onto the stage.

"Thank you Miss Fogle for those thought provoking words." Chancellor Garth replied. "And now, the moment we've all been waiting for, the presentation of the diplomas and omnis."

Chancellor Garth walked over and stood beside his assistant. "As I call out your name, please come forward to receive your diploma, your omni and your packet outlining your first assignment."

"David Adams, please come forward."

Mr. Adams walked up and stood beside the Chancellor and shook his hand.

"Congratulations, Voyager Adams on a job well done."

As the audience applauded, Chancellor Garth picked up Adams' diploma and presented it to him.

"I now present you with your diploma signifying that you are officially a Voyager."

Garth reached over and picked up a shiny new omni and a guide book and presented it to Voyager Adams.

"Here, are the tools of your trade. Your omni and your guidebook. You must keep these in your possession at all times."

"Thank you sir, I will."

Chancellor Garth reached over and picked up a manila envelope from the top of the stack. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and began to read the writing on the front.

"Voyager Adams, your preceptor is Voyager Steven Cole. And in this packet are the details of your first assignment. Congratulations and good luck to you."

"Thank you sir." Voyager Adams said before exiting the stage.

The audience applauded the proud Voyager on his accomplishment and then quieted down.

The presentations continued for almost an hour before Chancellor Garth was ready to make his presentation to Mallory. During this time, Bogg and Jeff began to fidget in their seats.

"Why can't they speed this up?" Jeff whispered. "It seems like we've been sitting here forever. The jello in these cushions must have turned to dust or something, 'cause my backside is numb."

"Mine too, kid." Bogg reassured. "It shouldn't be much longer. They are already in the 'M's, so Shawn should be coming up next."

"I hope so. Otherwise, there's going to be irreparable damage to that area for sure." Jeff whispered.

"Shawn Mallory, if you would, please step forward." Chancellor Garth announced.

Mallory got up from his seat and slowly made his way up to the front of the stage, grinning from ear to ear.

"Congratulations, Voyager Mallory. Extremely well done! Here is your diploma. You are now officially a Voyager."

Garth reached over and picked up a shiny new omni and a guidebook and presented it to Mallory.

"I present you with the tools of your trade. Your omni and your guidebook. As you well know, these must be kept in your possession at all times."

"Yes sir, Thank you, I will." Mallory replied, somewhat nervously.

Chancellor Garth again reached over and picked up a manila envelope from the cart and then adjusted his spectacles to read the name of the person assigned to be his preceptor.

"Voyager Mallory, your preceptor is Voyager Phineas Bogg. Inside this packet are the details of your first assignment. Congratulations and good luck to you. You will be in good hands with Voyager Bogg."

"Thank you sir." Mallory replied as he shook Chancellor Garth's hand and returned to his seat.

Bogg, Jeff, Rosalyn, Susan and Olivia, jumped to their feet and applauded for their dear friend as he walked across the stage. Mallory heard all the cheers and gave his friends a 'thumbs up' as he smiled a bit and returned to his seat.

Some forty-five minutes after Mallory had received his diploma, Chancellor Garth completed the presentations. At this point in the ceremony, it was time for him to administer the Voyager oath. He turned to face the graduates and began to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if you will please rise in preparation to take the Voyager oath."

The graduates rose from their seats and stood silently with their hands at their sides.

"If you would, please raise your right hand and repeat after me as I recite the oath."

"_I, state your name…", _

"_as a newly graduated Voyager do hereby solemnly swear before all here,"_

"_that I will observe, defend and uphold the rules of the Voyager Code;_

"_that I will faithfully discharge the duties of this position to the best of my ability,"_

"_in the interest of correcting the timeline and preserving history;" _

"_that I will perform these duties, freely, without reservation or prejudice"_

"_until such time as my services are no longer needed."_

Once the oath had been administered, Chancellor Garth turned to face the audience.

"I'd like to extend my sincerest thanks to all of you for taking the time to come and witness this milestone in the lives of those standing behind me. As you leave the auditorium, please feel free to join us for refreshments, which are located in the corridor just to the left of the main entrance. This concludes the commencement ceremonies for this evening. Thank you again and good evening."

Rosalyn turned to her friends and began to shout over the noise of the crowd. "C'mon, let's go. I want to wrap my arms around him and give him a big hug."

Susan and Olivia rose from their seats and followed Rosalyn as she made her way up the aisle. Curious as to where the three ladies were going, Bogg quickly looked up and grabbed Susan by the arm.

"Hey, where are you three going?" He shouted.

"We're going to see Shawn." Susan replied excitedly. "C'mon you two, get a move-on!"

"Ok, we're right behind you!" Bogg said as he reached back and pulled Jeff out of his seat. "C'mon kid."

In a small waiting area near the side door to the stage, newly graduated Voyagers were celebrating their accomplishments alongside members of their friends and family. In the background, all alone on an overstuffed sofa and out of the mayhem, Mallory sat with his head down and his eyes affixed on his shiny new omni. At that moment, Rosalyn, Olivia, and Susan with Bogg and Jeff in tow burst through the crowd and made their way over to where he had taken up residence.

"Shawn!" Rosalyn exclaimed as she held out her open arms. "Congratulations, my love. You did it!"

"Yea, I did it." Mallory replied indifferently.

"Shawn… What's wrong?" Olivia asked.

"Nothing…Whatever gave you the idea that anything's wrong?" Mallory snapped.

Rosalyn walked over and sat down on the arm of the sofa and put her arm around her husband.

"What's wrong? This is so not like you, Shawn. You've been wanting this for over a year now and now, here we are. You're officially a Voyager. You should be celebrating, not sitting over here moping like you just lost your best friend." Rosalyn chided.

"Roz, believe me, I'm ok." Mallory reassured unconvincingly. "All of this is…just…well…overwhelming at the moment. That's all."

Olivia, who was sporting a look a concern, turned to Bogg and whispered. "Bogg, something doesn't feel quite right here."

"You said it, 'livia." Bogg acknowledged. "And I don't need an omni to figure that one out."

"Hey! I've got an idea!" Bogg whispered. "Why don't you and Susan take Rosalyn for some refreshments. While you three are away, Jeff and I will see if we can figure out what's bothering Shawn. Ok?"

"That's a great idea." Olivia replied. "Since he looks up to you, maybe he can open up and talk to you about it. Hopefully it won't be anything too serious."

"Hopefully not." Bogg affirmed.

Olivia walked over to Susan and whispered their little plan in her ear. Susan looked at her, nodded and smiled as she stepped over and tapped Rosalyn on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, Rosalyn." Susan prompted. "Why don't the three of us go and get some refreshments."

"Oh, thank you, Susan, but no thanks." Rosalyn replied graciously.

Susan looked at Rosalyn and asked once more, only this time she winked to give her the signal to play along.

"Rosalyn. You know we've been sitting in that muggy auditorium for almost two hours now." Susan pleaded. "We all deserve a little refreshment after enduring that torture."

"Susan…uh…you two go ahead. I'll be fine…" Rosalyn replied.

"Oh, come on, Rosalyn." Olivia urged. "Susan and I are both parched and I know you must be too."

"But I can't leave Shawn here in this state." Rosalyn whispered.

Susan quickly leaned over and whispered in Rosalyn's ear. "Don't worry…come with us and we'll explain, ok?"

"C'mon Rosalyn." Olivia pleaded. "Phineas and Jeffrey can keep Shawn company while we're gone."

Shawn slowly raised his head and looked at his wife. His eyes were full of emotion.

"Roz, honey…you three go and get some refreshments. " He urged. "I'll be just fine, ok?"

"Are you sure?" She asked with concern.

"You go and enjoy yourselves." He reassured.

Rosalyn slowly rose from her seat, hesitated a moment, then turned to Mallory.

"You're sure you'll be ok?"

"Yes, I'll be ok." Mallory replied. "You three go and whet your whistle."

Susan, Olivia and Rosalyn slowly turned and walked away. Once they were a safe distance from the guys, Olivia and Susan filled her in on their little plan.

With the women off in the distance, Bogg and Jeff walked over and sat down next to their friend. After a brief period of silence, Bogg spoke up.

"Ok, Shawn, what's wrong? When you arrived you were happy and excited about all of this. Now you are sad and down in the dumps."

"Nothing's wrong, Phineas." Mallory replied unconvincingly. "Absolutely nothing."

"Yeah right!" Jeff whispered. "Now whose nose is gonna grow?"

Bogg gave his partner a stern look, before turning his attention back to his friend.

"Nothing's wrong huh?" Bogg asked. "Well, I'm not buyin' that one. Come on, spill it. It can't be that bad."

"It is, Phineas…and I'm so…" Mallory said with a quiver in his voice. "Scared."

Bogg put his arm around his friend in a gesture of support as he attempted to coax him to open up and talk about it.

"Shawn, what's there to be scared about?" Bogg asked. "You haven't even been on your first mission yet."

"It's not about the mission…"

"Then what's it all about?" Bogg asked as he continued to pry the answer from his friend.

Mallory nodded before leaning over and putting his head in his hands.

"I feel so ashamed."

Bogg began to rub Mallory's back in an act of consolation. "Hey, you have nothing to be ashamed about, you hear. Besides, we're friends you know. We can talk to each other about anything."

Jeff chimed in with his squeaky, high pitched voice. "Yea Shawn, we're friends. You can tell us. Please, let us help you."

Mallory slowly raised his head. "Bogg? Jeff? What am I gonna do?"

"Shawn, look…look at me." Bogg urged. "C'mon now, please. Tell us what's bothering you."

Mallory started to speak and began to stumble on his words.

"It's just…it's just…uh…"

"Shawn, why don't you stop for a moment, take a few deep breaths and collect your thoughts, ok? Once you have calmed down, you can tell us what's on your mind, no matter how embarrassing or scary it may be." Bogg urged.

Mallory took a couple of deep breaths while attempting to get a handle on his emotions. After a few moments, he began to speak.

"Phineas. Up until the time I walked across that stage, I was so excited about becoming a Voyager. It was the one thing I always wanted to do more than anything else. You know, to be able to travel through the cosmos to different times and places and experience history first hand."

"Ok, I got that part." Bogg acknowledged. "But now you act as if you don't want to be a Voyager. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"It's complicated, Phineas." Mallory said sullenly.

"So what's changed? You're still the same ol' Shawn Mallory I've known for the past two years or so. It can't be THAT complicated."

"It is Phineas!"

"So explain it to me. Tell me what has happened that is so complicated that you don't even want to be a Voyager any longer."

"Roz."

Bogg nodded curiously. "What?"

"You heard me Phineas, ROZ!"

"What does Rosalyn have to do with this?"

"Everything!" Mallory exclaimed with a great deal of distress in his voice.

"I don't understand, Shawn. Please, explain it to me…"

"Phineas, up until now, I had always been a loner. I had no connections, no ties, nothing to hold me back. It was just me, myself and I. I felt I was invincible; I could take on the world and the universe. But, now…"

Upon hearing this, Bogg finally realized what was bothering his friend. "Oh, I get it! The complication you speak of is your marriage to Rosalyn. That's what this whole thing is all about, isn't it? You can't bear the thought of leaving her, right?"

Mallory looked as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He smiled a bit and then continued.

"Well?" Bogg asked. "I'm waiting!"

"Unfortunately, you are right as usual." Mallory confirmed. "Phineas, when Chancellor Garth put that omni in my hand, it finally struck me…you know, what it truly means to be a Voyager. It was after I left the stage I realized the life that Roz and I had will never be the same again."

"Now wait a minute!" Bogg exclaimed. "You just became a Voyager, that's it. Nothing else has changed. You are still the same person you always were and Rosalyn is still the same person she always was."

"I know that Phineas, but the dynamics have changed."

"How, Shawn?"

"With me being a Voyager, this means that we will be apart from each other for long periods of time. It could be days, weeks, even months before we have an opportunity to see one another. Up until now, I never realized what a strain this could be on our relationship. Oh Phineas, I'm afraid I'll lose her and I don't want that to happen. "

"Whoa! Stop right there!" Bogg said staunchly with just a hint of a smile coming through. "I think you are allowing your emotions and imagination to get the best of you at the moment. Listen. Where did you get this idea that you two will be apart from each other for long periods of time?"

"Well, look at you and Jeff." Mallory explained. "How long has it been? You know, since we've seen you two around Headquarters."

"Uhh….ummm…well." Bogg said as he stumbled on his words.

"Months! " Mallory exclaimed as he provided the answer for his friend. "It's been months since you and Jeff have been here."

Jeff whispered in his partner's ear. "Bogg, he does have a point."

Bogg paused and nodded at his partner before turning his attention back to his friend's problem.

"Shawn, that's different." Bogg explained in a reassuring tone. "Jeff and I have no family here; we are each other's family. It's a totally different situation for the two of us. We stay out in the field all the time, simply because we choose to."

Bogg turned to Jeff for his affirmation. "Isn't that right, kiddo?"

"Yea, Bogg and I are family, Shawn. We have each other."

"And we're a team…right kid?" Bogg asked.

"We sure are!" Jeff acknowledged with his squeaky voice. "We're PB and J. There's no separating us!"

"As long as we are together, that's all we need to keep us going." Bogg affirmed.

"Shawn, being married, you'll have options available to you that a Voyager like myself doesn't have. After you get broken in, you will be assigned to short missions in the field so you will be able to come back home and have a life. From time to time you will be offered the opportunity for extended missions which you may accept or decline at your own choosing."

Upon hearing this, a ray of hope could be seen in the young graduate's eyes.

"So you're saying that…" Mallory said.

"What I'm saying is this. If you are worried about being away from Rosalyn for long periods of time, you have no reason to be. Mission Control will work with you on this, just like they do with other Voyagers who have families at home." Bogg said as he put his hand on Mallory's shoulder reassuringly. "Besides, if every Voyager stayed out in the field all the time, well, uh…umm…There'd be no little tykes running around to grow up to be Voyagers."

"But Phineas, the vast majority of the field personnel are recruited from other planets, like Earth." Mallory stated pointedly.

"Yes a great number of them are, but quite a lot of them are recruited from the population of the planet here."

Mallory, upon hearing Bogg's words of wisdom, leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh you don't know what a weight you have lifted off my shoulders."

"And another thing…Don't you think for one minute young man that Rosalyn will ever leave you." Bogg said as he shook his finger at his friend playfully. "She loves you very much and will never, ever leave you. So put any fears or thoughts of that out of your mind, ok!"

"Ok, Phineas. I will." Mallory said as he reached and hugged his friend.

At that moment, the three women returned from their refreshment trip and arrived to find Shawn hugging Phineas.

"Well, I'm jealous!" Rosalyn shouted with a playful note of jealousy in her voice. "Shawn Mallory, you'll hug Phineas, but you won't hug me!"

Upon hearing this, now somewhat embarrassed, Mallory and Bogg quickly began jerking and pushing each other away to get out of their embrace. The two fidgety Voyagers along with Jeff quickly rose from their seats to greet the women.

"Uh…umm… ladies…" Bogg said as he cleared his throat. "Shawn just needed a little bit of support. You know, in a manly sort of way."

Olivia put one hand on her hip and nodded. "With emphasis on MANLY, I suppose."

"Is everything ok?" Susan asked.

"Everything's just fine Susan." Bogg confirmed. "Isn't that right, Shawn?"

"Fine, everything's just fine." Mallory affirmed as he turned and smiled at his lovely wife. "Come here, little miss jealous, so I can wrap my arms around that beautiful body of yours."

"Grrrrrrrhhhhhhh" Rosalyn purred as she strolled over and stood next to her husband.

At that point, Mallory threw his arms around her and started to kiss her passionately.

"You had me so worried, Shawn."

"I know, I'm sorry about that." Mallory whispered softly. "But that's history now."

Mallory turned and put his arm around Rosalyn's waist as he looked at his friends.

"Hey, why don't we all go have some dinner and celebrate this wonderful occasion?" Mallory asked.

"What about your first mission." Olivia asked. "Shouldn't you be getting home and getting some rest. You know, tomorrow's a big day.

"I'll be ok, Olivia." Mallory replied. "Phineas and Jeff will be there with me if there are any problems. Besides, I'm so excited at this moment; I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to."

"Ok, ladies and gentlemen, where to?" Mallory asked. "I'm buying"

"You are the guest of honor, young man!" Bogg exclaimed. "You cannot be buying. Besides, if anyone's buying around here, it's going to be me."

With a look of skepticism, Olivia turned her attention to the recently self-proclaimed wealthy Voyager and began to tease him, unmercifully.

"Ok, Phineas, if you are buying, show me the money!"

Bogg began to turn out all his pockets in a valiant effort to produce some money. However, his efforts were in vain.

"Hmmm, I must have left my money in the pocket of my other pair of pants." Bogg said with a sheepish grin.

Jeff rolled his eyes and nodded in disbelief. "That figures!"

"Just as I thought…" Olivia chided. "All talk and no moolah. Nevermind, Phineas, I'm buying.

"Who died and left you a boatload?" Bogg asked.

"Nobody. Unlike you, I tend to spend my money wisely." Olivia quipped.

"And you're saying I don't?"

"Phineas, please, I was just joking. Now, c'mon. We need to get going or we'll be having breakfast instead of dinner."


	5. Initiation

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 4 – INITIATION **

The next morning, Bogg and Jeff struggled to pry themselves from their warm and comfortable beds after only a few hours of sound sleep. It had been a long night for the two of them, since they had spent the better part of it painting the town with their friends, in celebration of Mallory's achievement. It was once again another day and unfortunately for these two, there was no rest for the weary and no time to catch up on their missed sleep.

After getting dressed in a rather sluggish manner, the two ate a quick breakfast and made their way to Voyager Headquarters. Mallory had agreed to meet them in the small lounge on the first floor around 8:00 am to prepare for his first mission. While they waited for the arrival of their friend, Bogg was enjoying his second cup of coffee for the day and his partner was grabbing a quick snack.

"Bogg, I wonder where Shawn is?" Jeff asked. "He wanted us to meet him here at 8 o'clock. It's ten after now and there's still no sign of him."

"I don't know, kid." Bogg replied as he stretched his arms and yawned. "Maybe he overslept or something. We were out pretty late last night."

At that moment, the newly graduated Voyager recruit zipped through the door and threw the backpack he was carrying in a nearby chair.

"Well, guys, I finally made it." Mallory announced as he breathed a sigh of relief. "I bet you two had almost given up on me."

"No, not really." Bogg replied as he stood up to shake Mallory's hand. "After last night's big celebration, we figured you probably just overslept. We hadn't given up on you yet. Isn't that right, kiddo?"

"No, not just yet." Jeff responded before taking a sip of his drink.

"Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes, several hours ago. Why?"

Bogg stared into his cup as he swirled it's contents. "Just checking… You might want to get a cup of coffee and a snack or something before we leave. You know, it could be quite a while before we get a chance to eat again."

Somewhat confused by his partner's statement, Jeff glanced at him sporting a quizzical expression. Without saying a word, Bogg smiled and winked back at him as a signal to play along. After a few moments, he again lowered his eyes and continued to observe the swirls of cream as they made integrate patterns in his coffee.

"Are all missions like that?" Mallory asked as he walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"What do you mean?" Bogg asked, feigning ignorance.

"You know, having to go without food for long periods of time."

Bogg slowly raised his eyes from his cup and glanced out a nearby window. "Yes. Sometimes Jeff and I go for several days before we get a chance to eat. If it wasn't for the huge stash of beef jerky I carry with me, we probably wouldn't survive for very long."

Mallory's eyes grew large as he could scarcely believe what his preceptor was telling him.

"They never said anything about that while we were at Voyager Academy." Mallory replied with surprise and a hint of concern in his voice.

Bogg knew all too well the yarn he was spinning was achieving the desired effect. Even though he was about to bust his gut attempting to hold in his laughter, he bit his lip before putting the finishing touches on his latest prank.

"They probably didn't mention it because they didn't want to scare everyone." He said before taking another sip of his coffee. "It's not good to scare new recruits on their first day you know.

"Shawn, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do what you have to do." Bogg said in a carefree, fanciful tone while he continued his quest to keep a straight face. "I really hate to even mention this, but there have been a couple of times when I ran completely out of jerky. The kid and I ended up eating tree bark to keep us going."

With this Mallory spewed his coffee out onto the floor. "Tree bark? Yuck! No wonder you two are so thin! It's all that tree bark you two have been eating. It's no wonder you two ate like two hungry bears last night. All I can say is it's a good thing I brought my backpack with me. From the sound of it, we may just need what's inside."

Jeff walked over and stared curiously at Mallory's backpack. "So, whatcha got in there?"

Mallory took another sip of his coffee before providing an answer to his young friend.

"It's just a few things I packed just in case. And now that Bogg here has told me about having to fast on a regular basis, I'm kinda glad I brought it along. You can call it my survival kit."

Jeff shook his head and casually strolled back over to his partner. "Hey!" He whispered. "Don't you think it's time to let him in on your little prank?"

"Yea, I guess so. We wouldn't want to push this too far. He might have second thoughts about going. " Bogg replied with a smile.

Bogg walked over and put his hand on his colleague's shoulder. "Shawn, why don't we take a seat at the table and go over our mission. Ok?"

"Sure Phineas." Mallory agreed and then strolled over, pulled out a chair and sat down.

Likewise, Bogg and Jeff took a seat at the table and began talking with the new graduate.

"Shawn, before we get started there's one little misconception I need to clear up." Bogg said with a smile.

"What's that, Phineas?"

"Well, what I said earlier about going for days without food…That was just a joke."

Shawn sat back in his chair and breathed a heavy sigh.

"You ol' prankster you!" Mallory exclaimed. "You really had me going there for a moment! I'll tell you this much…I was not looking forward to feasting on freshly harvested tree bark."

"I know… All too well." Bogg replied as he chuckled. "The look on your face, well, it was priceless."

"Consider this your initiation into the Brotherhood of the Voyager." Bogg said as he playfully slapped Mallory's arm.

"Wow, Phineas, I feel honored…I think? Does every new graduate have to endure this torture?"

Bogg laughed. "Yes, it's something that every preceptor does to a new recruit. Just be thankful your preceptor has a soft spot in his heart. My little prank is quite mild compared to some."

"What do you mean?"

Bogg's cheeks suddenly took on a pinkish hue as he began to explain himself.

"Let's just say, some preceptors have been known to swap a non-functioning omni for their recruit's real omni and leave them in a tight spot to sweat it out."

"I take it your preceptor must have done that to you?" Jeff asked his partner.

"Ummm, yea, kiddo. He did. For a new graduate, it's very unnerving to find yourself in the middle of some odd timezone and then realize your omni doesn't work and you have no way to contact anyone or for that matter to get back. I vowed if I was ever a preceptor, I would never do anything like that to a new graduate."

"I really appreciate you not pulling that one on me." Mallory stated with a great sense of relief.

"Shawn, I've pulled some pranks in my time, but I couldn't do that to you." Bogg reassured. "That's just too cruel."

"Cruel?" Jeff interjected. "You think that's cruel. I'll tell you what's cruel…having your partner drop you into a tub of water! Now that's cruel."

"Phineas, why did you do that?" Mallory asked, as he attempted to stir up the issue even further. "Did he smell that bad?"

"No, he didn't smell." Bogg said playfully.

"Yea, I didn't smell." Jeff affirmed. "Ol' Bogg here just couldn't pass up a chance to be mean to me."

"Now, wait a minute!" Bogg interjected with a comedic tone to his voice. "I wasn't being mean to you. It was payback and you had it comin'. Why are you making me out to be the bad guy here?"

Mallory looked over to Jeff, nodded his head and smiled a bit. "You know, somehow I get the feeling that there's a whole lot more to this story than your telling."

Jeff's cheeks flushed with color. Before he could respond, Bogg continued his playful ranting.

"Yes, Shawn, there's quite a bit more to this story than you are being told. I'll have you know, when it comes right down to it, the kid here can be just as mean to me when he wants to. Besides, Mr. innocent is only telling one side of the story…HIS SIDE! And he's doing that to make himself look like a sweet, little angel. But, let me say this, beneath that gooey sweet, angelic exterior, lies a mischievous little pain. Isn't that right kiddo?"

"I am not!" Jeff argued.

"You are! Admit it!" Bogg exclaimed as he continued teasing his partner. "Don't even try to pull the wool over Shawn's eyes."

"What wool?" Jeff said as his voice increased in pitch.

Bogg turned to Shawn and continued with his banter. "He doesn't want to tell you the other part of the story. You know, the part where he was being mean to me."

Mallory shook his head. "Jeffrey…c'mon now, confess! What did you do?"

"Go ahead, spill it!" Bogg teased. "Either you tell him or I will."

Jeff knew he had once again been outgunned by his partner. With the thumbscrews now tightened to the extremes, he was forced to explain the part of the story he so purposely left out.

"I guess I'll tell him." Jeff said as he resigned himself to his fate. "It's like this. I woke up one morning to find Bogg sitting up in bed, staring out into space, silent and motionless. It was at that point, I decided to try my hand at hypnotizing him."

"You're not serious…You were gonna hypnotize Bogg?" Mallory responded, amazed at the concept. "Why?"

"I just wanted to see if I could do it." Jeff replied. "The plan was once I had him under, I'd leave a suggestion that anytime I snapped my fingers, he would do anything I asked."

"Wow…" Mallory said as he laughed. "Then what happened."

"Shawn you are just gonna love this next bit. It's classic!" Bogg boasted.

"Yea, sure…classic. If you say so." Jeff said as he shook his head. "Once I thought I had him under, you know, when his eyes were closed, I put my plan into action. I gave him the suggestion and told him on the count of three he would wake up and remember nothing about being hypnotized."

"Boy was he ever surprised." Bogg said with a laugh. "The whole time he was trying to put me under I was playing along with him. I wasn't hypnotized at all. I was fully aware of what he was doing."

Jeff continued. "Once I counted to three and snapped my fingers, ol' Bogg here woke up and acted as if nothing had happened. So I waited a few moments and decided to put it to the test."

"What happened next?" Mallory asked, now thoroughly engrossed in the story.

"I snapped my fingers in front of Bogg's face and he instantly went into a trance." Jeff explained. "Or so I thought. Then I commanded the great Bogg here to pick me up and carry me across the hallway to the bathroom."

Bogg interrupted. "Here comes the best part."

"Yea, it's the best part alright…at least it was for you." Jeff teased. "Bogg got down out of bed, walked over and picked me up in his arms. He carried me out the door of our room, across the hallway and into the bathroom. Once inside the door, I commanded, 'Bogg, put me down!' Much to my surprise he just kept on walking. I continued to yell at him to put me down and he just kept on going. That is, until he reached a bathtub full of water."

"What did you do Jeff?" Mallory asked before taking a sip of his coffee. "It sounds like ol' Bogg here was out of control."

"Well, I commanded him one more time to put me down. That's when Mr. Pirate of the Century came out of his pretend trance, looked at me with this evil sort of grin and said 'I'm putting you down now.' And boy did he ever! He dropped me right into that big ol' tub of water."

Bogg and Mallory began to laugh so hard at Jeff's tale; they could scarcely catch their breath. After a few moments, the two calmed down and regained their composure. Out of love and respect for his partner, Bogg reached over and put his arm around him.

"I'm sorry kiddo. As I said you had that one coming. Just consider it a bit of tough love." Bogg said as he chuckled a bit. "You have to admit, it was funny. And the look on your face when you discovered that I was out of control was priceless."

"Yeah, I guess so." Jeff conceded. "I guess you're right. I had that one coming."

Bogg stuck out his hand in a gesture of good sportsmanship. "PB & J, ok?"

Jeff grabbed his hand and replied. "PB and J…Ok."

Mallory scratched his head and with a puzzled look, turned to Bogg and asked. "PB & J? I don't get it."

Bogg and Jeff looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

Confused and not knowing what to make of this, Mallory looked at the two of them and asked innocently. "What? What did I say?"

The two Voyagers regained their composure and attempted to explain.

"You see, PB and J stands for peanut butter and jelly." Jeff explained. "It's a type of sandwich on Earth. You can't have peanut butter on this sandwich without jelly.

"So what's that have to do with the two of you?" Mallory asked.

At this point, Bogg chimed in. "PB and J also stands for Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey. We can never be separated. You can't have one without the other."

"Ahhh, now I get it." Mallory replied. "That's a good one."

"Well, now that we've had our little moment of fun, I think we better start preparing for our mission." Bogg said. "Shawn, have you opened up your mission packet yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Why don't you open it and let's see what's inside."

Mallory reached over, unzipped his backpack and pulled out the envelope. He tore it open, pulled out two sheets of paper and placed them on the table.

"It doesn't look like much." Mallory said before beginning to read the first page.

A few moments passed. Mallory turned over the first sheet and began to read the second one.

The suspense was almost too much for Bogg and his partner. Before Mallory could finish, Bogg spoke up.

"What's it all about? C'mon don't keep us in suspense. Tell us, what's your mission?"

Mallory picked up the two sheets of paper, straightened their edges on the table and nodded his head, before he spoke.

"Guys, I hate to do this to you, but these two sheets of paper really don't tell me anything about my mission that I don't already know."

"What?" Bogg said curtly. "Let me see that."

Bogg grabbed the mission papers from the young recruit and began to read over them. After a few moments, amazed at what he had just read, he nodded his head in disbelief and placed them on the table.

"I can't believe this."

"What is it, Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"Kid, they didn't say anything about the mission. All this says is that the mission information is preprogrammed into the omni and it's up to Mallory here to figure out what's wrong and fix it, using his training and his guidebook."

"Wow, talk about throwing someone in the deep end of the pool and watching him sink or swim." Jeff said. "I guess that's the only way a new recruit is going to learn what to do."

"Yea, I guess." Bogg agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "But it's his first mission. The least they could do is to give him a hint or something."

"It's ok, Phineas. Really. " Mallory reassured. "I'll be ok. Besides, I'll have the great PB and J here to help me if I get into a jam. I'm in good hands with you two."

Mallory got up from the table, put the mission papers back into the envelope and shoved them back into his backpack. He zipped it closed and slung it over his shoulder.

"Guys, maybe it's time we get started on this mission. Are you two ready to go?"

"Sure, there's no time like the present." Bogg replied. "Ready kid?"

"Yea, Bogg."

As Mallory pulled his omni from his belt and opened it, Bogg and Jeff walked over and stood beside him.

"Are you sure you know how to operate that thing?" Bogg teased.

The time had come for Mallory to exact revenge on his preceptor for the previous prank he had so eloquently pulled on him. With little or no thought, an idea had hit him. Now sporting a look of confusion on his face, he began to play like he had never seen the device before.

"I really don't know, Phineas. Am I supposed to turn one of these dials or something to make it go?"

"No, NO!" Bogg exclaimed, "Don't turn the dials. It's pre-programmed, remember?"

"Oh, that's right." Mallory acknowledged. "Duh! Turning the dials would get me nowhere. " He began to closely examine the omni from end to end. "I think they said something about a button somewhere. Hmmmm…now where did they put that button. Ahhhh… here it is. If I remember correctly, I believe they said I needed to push it to make this thing go."

Bogg, sensing Mallory was pulling a prank on the two of them, realized what was about to happen next and quickly yelled to his partner.

"Jeff! Grab his arm before he pushes that…"

In an instant, the three were gone.


	6. Wyatt Who?

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 5 – WYATT WHO?**

Deep in the heart of the desert southwest, in an area well known for its rocky, desert-like terrain, a small group of settlers who sought a new life for themselves so many years ago, carved out the beginnings of what was to be a very important focal point in the Old West. What originally started as a few small cabins built by prospectors who came seeking their fortunes in silver, by the late 1800's had become a booming cow town. Also by that time, this little town had gained a reputation not only for its abundance of silver ore, but also for its extreme lawlessness since it had become a haven for gamblers, thieves and rustlers. The name given to this little hamlet was…Tombstone.

The barren wilderness encompassing the area was harsh and unforgiving. It had been months since the last rainfall had kissed its hard, crusty soil. For as far as the eye could see, there were no signs of vegetation, save the occasional patch of tall grass and a flowering cactus or two. Rocks of various sizes and shapes dotted the landscape along with the dried up skeletons of those animals that had long since left this world. With only a few lonely clouds passing overhead, there was little sign of a breeze, save a couple of playful dust devils chasing each other in the distance. The heat of the area was fierce and the stagnant air, heavily laden with dust, singed the nostrils upon breathing it.

Even this formidable environment was not enough to keep a well-trained Voyager from his assigned duties. For as swiftly as Bogg, Jeff and Mallory had left Voyager Headquarters, they soon fell through the time portal into this most uninviting of places. They landed on their haunches in the middle of the street, within earshot of a nearby saloon.

"Yeoooowwwwwwww!" Mallory shouted as he sprung up. "I think I landed on a rock!"

Bogg chuckled. "It wasn't a pointy one, was it?" He asked as he looked over to his friend to see if he was ok.

"Yea, and I can feel every inch of it too." Mallory replied as he pulled the rock from underneath him and threw it aside. "There's a good possibility I may be bruised."

"Are you ok, kid?" Bogg asked as he stood up and knocked the dust off his pants. Extending a hand to each of his traveling companions, he attempted to help them up off the hard, dusty street.

"I'm ok…I guess…" He said as he took hold and pulled himself up.

"What about you, Shawn?" Bogg asked. "How'd you like your first landing?"

Mallory slowly eased himself up off the hard ground, dusted himself off and then picked up his backpack.

"It was a little rough." He said, nodding a bit. "Is this the norm? I mean, do you two always land on your...umm…well…"

Jeff chimed in. "Tubas! Not always. Just be glad you didn't land on a cactus or something."

Bogg grinned. "You said it kid. There's definitely plenty of them around here to land on."

Mallory, with a puzzled expression, looked at the two as if they had been speaking in a foreign language. "Tubas?" He asked. "Is that some sort of slang term?"

Bogg laughed. "Yea, Shawn. You could call it that."

Without warning, the three Voyagers were startled by the sounds of glass breaking, women screaming and furniture being thrown around inside the saloon.

"Wow!!!!! Sounds like a real bar-room brawl. I gotta see this!" Jeff exclaimed as he took off running toward the saloon.

"No Jeff, wait!" Bogg shouted before chasing after him.

Jeff had only made it as far as the edge of the walkway, when a drunken cowboy came crashing through the front window of the saloon. In a daring act much like that of a circus clown, the cowboy tumbled across the walkway, barely missing the young Voyager and landed face down in the dirt in front of Mallory.

As Jeff turned his attention from the action of the moment to make his way inside, Bogg quickly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the door.

"Oh no you don't!" Bogg said sternly. "It's way too dangerous for you to go in there."

"But Bogg….Why can't I go in?" Jeff asked in a huff. "I've always wanted to see a real bar-room brawl."

"And I guess you've always wanted to get your tuba shot off as well." Bogg said sarcastically.

With Jeff now safely at his side, Bogg motioned for Mallory to join them. However, before he could take a step, the commotion continued.

"Git outta here you ol' yellow-bellied varmint!" A man yelled from within the saloon. "And ya' best keep yer hands off my wo-mern or you be pushin' up daisies with a belly fulla lead."

As the cowboy struggled to pry himself up off the street, two gunshots rang out from within. Bogg and Jeff ducked their heads, while Mallory, stunned by the whole episode, stood frozen in his tracks. One slug embedded itself in the hitching post outside, the other ricocheted off a nearby rock and penetrated Mallory's backpack.

"What the…!" Mallory shouted as he inched himself closer to his two comrades. "Phineas! Those are real bullets they are using!"

Jeff rolled his eyes as he looked at his partner and nodded in disbelief.

"Of course they're real!" Bogg whispered impatiently. "What do you think this is a movie or something?" Quickly, he turned to Jeff. "Kid, you take cover in that alley over there. I'm going to get Shawn, ok?"

"Right! You don't have to tell me twice." Jeff acknowledged, before making swift tracks toward the alley.

Mallory was still standing in the middle of the street, stiff and motionless. His face was quite pale and his eyes were glassy and fixed on his preceptor. Without hesitation, Bogg ran over to him, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to safety.

Once they had made it into the alley, Mallory, who was coughing and breathing heavily, bent over with his hands on his knees as he tried his best to once again catch his breath. After a short time, he started breathing normally.

"Shawn are you ok?" Bogg asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Mallory replied. "That was a real close one back there."

"Just be glad I got to you before they did." Bogg replied.

In the excitement of the moment, Mallory hadn't realized he had been hit by one of the slugs during the round of gunfire. At this point, out of harm's way, he began to feel an intense burning sensation in the small of his back. He reached his hand around to examine the area and discovered a small hole in the back of his shirt. Unbeknownst to him, the bullet had grazed him slightly before it penetrated his backpack. As he continued to examine the area, he suddenly felt something warm and wet running down his back.

"Guys! I've been hit! I'm bleeding!" Mallory yelled frantically. Before he could say another word, his eyes rolled back in his head and he began to pass out from the shock.

"Grab him kid!" Bogg yelled.

The two quickly took hold of their friend and gently eased him to the ground. With his partner's help, Bogg rolled Mallory on his side and began to observe the area. By this time, Mallory's dark shirt was soaked with fluid. Seeing this, Bogg began to closely examine Mallory's back to find the entry wound. After a few moments he sat back on his haunches and breathed a sigh of relief. He had now discovered the source of Mallory's extreme distress.

"Bogg, is he gonna be ok?" Jeff asked with concern in his eyes.

Bogg nodded and chuckled a bit. "Kid, he's gonna be fine…just fine.

"What about the bleeding?"

"What bleeding?" Bogg replied as he pointed to the hole in his shirt. "See, look! The bullet only grazed him… He was very lucky. A few more inches and he could have been seriously hurt."

Jeff gave his partner a puzzled look. "Ok, if the bullet only grazed him and he's not bleeding, then what's that all over his shirt?"

"Beats me!" Bogg said as he laughed. "Wait, I need to make a small correction to my diagnosis. Shawn's not bleeding, but his backpack is… Look, there's a hole in it."

Jeff looked closely at the hole in the backpack and noticed the fluid now spilling out of it.

"Ok. Obviously it's not blood, so what is that stuff oozing out of his backpack?"

Bogg ran his fingers over Mallory's wet shirt, rubbed them together and then wafted them under his nose. "There's no smell… Feels like water, but I really don't know for sure, kiddo."

Mallory began to awaken from his self-induced fainting spell.

"Phineas…" Mallory asked woozily. "Did you…did you…find the wound?"

Bogg gave his partner a rather mischievous smile and then responded. "Yes Shawn, I found it. From this angle, though, it looks quite serious."

"Oh no!" Mallory exclaimed. "I can just see the front page of the Voyager Times now. 'Graduate Shawn Mallory Gunned Down On First Mission'. Besides that, Roz and I haven't even had time to have a life yet. She's way too young to be a widow!"

With Bogg and Jeff now struggling to hold onto their self control, they had realized Mallory was again on the brink of losing his. He was scared and anxious at the prospect of what he thought was his inevitable passing.

"Bogg is there anything we can do?" Jeff asked as he played along with his partner's latest gag.

"Well, kiddo, he's oozing profusely… and somehow we've got to stop it." Bogg said as he winked at Jeff. "Hey, what about that old whiskey barrel over there."

"What about it?" Jeff asked curiously.

"Maybe there's a cork in it. We can use that to stop the oozing." Bogg suggested as he winked. "Why don't you go check it out."

"You're gonna cork me like a wine bottle?" Mallory exclaimed with disbelief. "What kind of medics are you two?"

Jeff ran over to the barrel and pulled out the cork. He examined it closely and yelled back to his partner.

"Hey Bogg!"

"Yea kid."

"No luck! This cork is not gonna fit… It's way too big!" Jeff said before running back over to his partner's side.

"Can't you two come up with something to stop the bleeding!" Mallory yelled. "I'm desperate here!"

"Well, I guess Jeff here could put his finger in the bullet hole until we can get you to the hospital." Bogg replied, attempting to hold back an onslaught of laughter.

Jeff chimed in. "Bogg, I think we have a problem."

"What now, kid?" Bogg asked. "Please, I hope you're not gonna tell me you have a weak stomach."

"No, not that." Jeff responded. "That bullet hole is way too big. My finger won't be able to plug it."

Bogg rubbed his chin. "Hmmmmm. Looks like we need to rethink our plan."

Mallory, now in fear for his life, yelled impatiently at the two. "Hey guys, you need to hurry up and do something…I only have a little bit left inside."

"I guess I'll just have to my big finger in it." Bogg conceded.

Hearing the details of this crude medical procedure about to be performed on him, Mallory, whose nerves were now wound up like a rubber band, blurted out. "You're gonna do what?"

"I'm going to put my big ol' finger in it." Bogg repeated. "That should stop it from oozing."

"And then what are you gonna do?" Mallory asked impatiently.

"I'd say the only thing left to do after that is call a plumber." Bogg said as he burst out laughing.

"A plumber?" Mallory exclaimed. "What do ya' mean, call a plumber? I'm dying here, I need a doctor! Phineas, this is no time for jokes!."

By this time, the strain of holding back was just too much for Jeff, and he too began to laugh uncontrollably.

Bogg reached over and slowly eased the backpack off Mallory's shoulders and placed it on the ground in front of him.

"Yes, Shawn, I know, you're dying and we are too right now…DYING OF LAUGHTER!" Bogg teased.

Mallory sat up and faced his friends. "What? What do you mean? I don't get it. Phineas is this another one of your practical jokes? If so, this is so not funny."

Bogg put his hand on Mallory's shoulder. "Shawn, I'm sorry, but we've been teasing you… Roz, by no means is gonna be a widow. You're not gonna die. However, I can't say the same for your backpack though. It's been oozing for quite a while. I'd say from the looks of it, it's a goner."

Mallory breathed a sigh of relief as he looked down at the backpack. Curious as to what was oozing out of it, he unzipped it, reached inside and pulled out a large silver canteen, which had a good sized hole all the way through it.

"I can't believe it!" Mallory exclaimed. "Roz gave this to me as a graduation present along with the backpack. She didn't want me to get thirsty. Now look at it! It's useless."

"Just be thankful she bought them both for you." Bogg said. "'Cause it kept you out of what would have been a very serious jam. You came very close to being hurt."

Mallory's cheeks were now red as he realized he had overreacted to the situation. "Guys, I'm so sorry for what I put you both through." He said as he bowed his head in shame. "And I'm so embarrassed. I'd be surprised after all this, if you two still wanted to work with me."

Bogg put his arm around his friend and playfully punched him on the arm.

"Hey now… There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Bogg reassured. "It's your first mission. You are just nervous. Every Voyager gets nervous on their first mission. That's to be expected."

"But Phineas, I'm a Voyager." Mallory said pointedly "According to the guidebook, Voyagers are supposed to be brave, strong and to face their fears without trepidation."

"Are you sure? Where does it say that?" Bogg asked with a hint of skepticism. "I don't remember ever reading that in my guidebook. It must be a misprint!"

"I assure you, it's on page 325…" Mallory said as he rattled off the details of the passage in question. "Under rules governing Voyager behavior."

Bogg looked over at Mallory and began to speak in a Southern drawl. "On yaw feet, Voyager Mallory!" Bogg ordered with the precision of a four-star general.

Mallory jumped to his feet and stood at attention. Jeff's eyes grew large as he had never seen Bogg act like this before.

"Voyager Mallory!" Bogg barked.

"Yes sir!" Mallory replied.

"As yaw oh-fficial preceptor, I'm givin' you a die-rect order. You are to obey this order with-out question and with-out hes-i-ta-tion." Bogg shouted as he continued in his role as a general. "Do you un-der-stayand, Voyager Mallory?"

"Yes, sir, I am to obey this order without question." Mallory repeated.

"Voyager Mallory, from this point faw-ward, page 325 of yaw guidebook is off limits!" Bogg exclaimed as he smiled at his friend. "Is that clay-er?"

"Ok, if you say so."

"What was that Voyager Mallory!" Bogg barked.

"Yes sir!"

"At ease, Voyager!" Bogg barked.

Mallory started to sit back down, but suddenly stopped as he was now uncertain of what to do next. He raised his head and looked over to his preceptor for a sign. Realizing he had now unnerved his friend, Bogg smiled and nodded to him that it was ok to sit down. Mallory then lowered himself to the ground.

"How'd you like my impression of a confederate general?" Bogg asked, with a bit of flair and panache. "I picked it up when Jeff and I went back to keep President Lincoln from being kidnapped during the Civil War.

"It was very convincing…Too convincing, if I say so."

Bogg chuckled. "One other thing…"

"Watch out, Shawn, here it comes…" Jeff teased.

"What's that, Jeff?"

"Only some of Bogg's great wisdom."

"Hey! I resemble that remark." Bogg said with a smile. "What I was about to say, before the kid here interrupted, was this… If you take anything away from this situation, remember these two things. One. If you find yourself in a jam, stay calm and keep your wits about you."

"And the second thing?" Mallory asked.

"It's ok to be nervous and it's ok to be scared. Just as long as you don't let it interfere with you completing your mission."

Bogg's pep talk had obviously done the trick, since Mallory had gotten back some of the confidence he had lost. He looked at his two friends and smiled.

"Thanks Phineas. You are one great friend and one terrific preceptor." Mallory said. "I know I'm in good hands with you two."

"Ok, now that we know we're all in one piece, shouldn't we be getting to the bottom of what's going on here?" Bogg urged.

"Uh…umm… yes…YES!" Mallory replied as he fumbled with his belt, attempting to find his omni. Upon locating the device, he pulled it out and opened the lid. He sat there for a time, his eyes fixed upon its red flashing beacon.

"Shawn…are you ok?" Jeff asked.

"Uhh…yea…I'm ok." Mallory replied.

"So, where are we?" Bogg asked.

"Oh, yea…It would help if I told you that." Mallory replied. "Looks like Tombstone, Arizona, October 26, 1881. And there's a red light of course."

"Bogg and I know all about red lights." Jeff said with a smile. "It's nice to know someone else gets a red light when they open up their omni."

"I wonder what's going on here?" Mallory asked, before rummaging through his backpack. "Now where's that guidebook."

Bogg looked at his partner and whispered. "Do you know anything about this place?"

"Yea, Bogg." Jeff acknowledged, his voice again starting to crack. "Tombstone Arizona, October 26, 1881. This was where the big gunfight took place between the Earps and the Clantons."

"Who were they?" Bogg asked in a whisper.

Suddenly, Mallory found his rather moist guidebook that was buried deep in his backpack. He pulled it out and began thumbing through its pages. After stopping momentarily on one particular page, he began to skim though the information it contained.

"Found it!" He exclaimed.

"That's ok kid." Bogg said as he nudged his partner in the side. "Let's see what the newbie can figure out with his guidebook."

"Uhh….umm… ok." Mallory said as he continued his search. "Tombstone, Arizona…July…August…September…Ahhh! October! Here it is! October 26, 1881."

Mallory paused for a moment as he continued to read though the text.

"Well?" Bogg prompted.

"Well what?" Mallory replied.

"What does it say?"

"Oh…that…ummm, I'm sorry. " Mallory said nervously. "According to the book, this is the place where the Earps met the Clantons in a gunfight to settle some dispute they had between them. The text says this gunfight was also known as the Gunfight at the OK Corral, even though it didn't actually occur at the Ok Corral."

"As it says here, Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil Earp along with Doc Holliday went up against brothers, Billy and Ike Clanton, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury and Billy Claiborne on the streets of Tombstone on this date at 3:30 pm in the afternoon. Minutes later, Frank and Tom McLaury along with Billy Clanton were killed. Morgan Earp, Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday were injured. Wyatt Earp was not harmed.

"I wonder what time it is now." Bogg whispered.

With the three Voyagers in the alley attempting to get a grip on what had went awry in this time zone, five men came walking up the street in front of them on their way into the saloon. Two of them had their guns drawn and were firing into the air at random, seemingly to celebrate some occasion.

"Well, boys… the Earps won't be bothering us again, that's for sure. " Billy Clanton boasted. "About now, I'd say they are playing their harps in front of the pearly gates."

"Are you sure about that Billy?" Tom McLaury asked as he pointed his finger to the ground. "What if they went, you know, down there?"

"If that's the case, then I suppose they are quite busy putting out fires at the moment" Ike Clanton replied as he laughed and fired off his gun several times. "C'mon boys, I'd say this victory calls for a round of drinks, don't ya' think?"

"You buyin' Ike?" Frank McLaury asked.

"Nope, the barkeep's buyin'." Ike Clanton replied.

Bogg, Jeff and Mallory continued to observe the situation from the alley as the men made their way past them. Once they were inside the saloon, the three Voyagers began to compare notes.

Mallory looked over at the two. "Wait a minute!" He whispered. "Didn't one of them call the other 'Billy'?"

"Sure did." Jeff whispered.

"That must have been Billy Clanton. According to the guidebook, he was killed in this gunfight." Mallory said curiously as he continued to read and study the situation.

"Kid, what do you think happened here?" Bogg whispered to his partner.

"I don't know, Bogg." He responded, somewhat perplexed. "It looks like the Clantons and the McLaurys survived this fight without a scratch. But that's not how it ended."

Bogg turned his attention back to the new graduate. He sat there silently as he watched him as he digested the information on the pages of his guidebook. "Ok, Voyager Mallory, what's next on the agenda?"

Mallory put down his guidebook. "Looks like some investigative work is in order."

"I'd say! Something's definitely amiss here." Jeff whispered.

"Well, Shawn, this is your assignment. What do we do next?" Bogg asked.

"Hmmm…" Mallory thought. "We need to go to the scene of the crime. Maybe we can find some clues there that will help us figure out this mess." He quickly jumped to his feet. "C'mon guys, let's get going."

Mallory grabbed his backpack, slung it over his shoulder and with Bogg and Jeff in tow, slowly walked out onto the street. The three quietly began walking toward the scene of the gunfight, an area near the Ok Corral. A few minutes into their journey, they were met by a large wagon. As it passed them, Jeff looked back and noticed the unusual cargo it was carrying.

"Bogg, Shawn! Wait!" He exclaimed.

"What's going on, kiddo?" Bogg asked, stopping suddenly in his tracks.

"That wagon that passed us… There's bodies in the back of it! Look! You can see their feet sticking out from underneath the cover." Jeff exclaimed as he pointed to the wagon.

"Bodies?" Bogg asked. "Are you sure?"

Almost simultaneously, Bogg and Mallory came to the same conclusion and shouted in unison. "The gunfight!"

Mallory nudged Bogg on the arm. "C'mon you two, we need to see who's on the back of that wagon."

The three turned back and ran toward the wagon. After advancing a safe distance in front of it, they stopped in its path and waived their arms in the air as they signaled the driver to stop. The old man atop the wagon shouted "whoa" and quickly pulled back on the reins. As the two horses slowed to a halt, dust and debris went flying into the air all around them.

"Are you fellas tetched in the head?" The old man spouted. "You could've got yerselves killed, running out in front of this here wagon like that."

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir…" Mallory responded. "I see you have some bodies on the back of your wagon."

"Well, ain't you just one smart cookie." The old man replied. "Dontcha know… this is one of them there few-nair-ee-al wagons, don'tcha see. There's supposed to be bodies on it."

Seeing this conversation was going nowhere, Bogg decided to jump in.

"Sir, I'm sorry. My friend here meant no disrespect."

"None taken." The old man acknowledged.

Bogg continued to converse with the old man. "We were just wondering what happened to these people. It's quite odd to have so many to die all at the same time.

"Not so around these here parts." The old man replied. "This, my friend is an ever-day occurrence."

"Can you tell us what happened to them?"

"Sure can. I'm sorry to say the three I have back there are the Sheriff and his two deputies. They had a little run-in with the Clantons and the McLaurys. It was three against five. They were brave fellows, but the odds were against them."

"Can you tell us their names, sir?" Jeff asked.

The old man leaned back in his seat and stroked his chin. "I take it y'all are not from 'round these here parts." He stated with some curiosity.

"No, we are travelers sir." Mallory replied.

The old man stood up and leaned over the back of the wagon. "Well now, let me in-ter-duce you to the guests of honor." He said before he threw back the burlap cover.

As the cover flew over and off the side of the wagon, Bogg and Mallory were the first to get a glimpse of the old man's cargo. Underneath the cover, were three corpses which were full of bullet holes and soaked in blood. Upon seeing the gruesome sight, Mallory began to heave and gag. He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket, put it over his mouth and quickly turned away. Bogg, realizing this was not something his partner should be looking at, put his hands over Jeff's eyes.

"This is Virgil Earp, the sheriff of these here parts." The old man said as he pointed to one of the bodies. "That one over yonder is his brother Morgan. The big fellow with the hat is ol' Doc Holliday. I'm 'fraid this town's not gonna be the same with'em gone."

"Thank you sir. I think we've seen enough." Bogg said with a sense of urgency. "You can cover them back up now."

"Yes sir, please…" Mallory insisted as he gagged some and swallowed hard in an attempt to keep down his breakfast. "…by all means, cover them!"

The old man slowly got down off the wagon, hobbled over to its side and began to place the burlap covering back over the wagon's contents.

"Bogg, why'd you have to cover my eyes?" Jeff asked. "I didn't get to see the bodies."

"And you really didn't need to either." Bogg said matter-of-factly. "It was just too gruesome for a kid to look at. Besides, it was so bad even Shawn was overcome by it."

"You said it Phineas!" Mallory acknowledged as he fought with his churning stomach. "I don't think I've ever seen a sight like that before."

"Bogg, it's ok. I could take it." Jeff said confidently.

"Oh really?" Bogg teased. "Hmmm….I seem to remember not that long ago, a certain Voyager who…hmmmm… shall we say…freaked out at the sight of a Pilgrim massacre."

Jeff bowed his head. "Yea, I remember." He said sullenly.

"And I seem to remember that same Voyager jumping into my arms and burying his face in my chest, sobbing. And the worst thing about that was it took nearly two whole hours for my shirt to dry. "

"Ok, Bogg. You can stop now…I get your point." Jeff replied with a hint of shame on his lips.

"Well, kiddo, it was the same scene in the back of that wagon. I was only trying to protect you."

Jeff looked up at his partner. "I guess you are right. I'm sorry, Bogg."

Bogg put his hand on Jeff's shoulder, smiled and winked. "Nothing to be sorry for, kiddo."

After a few moments had passed and the three had recovered from their terrible ordeal, Jeff turned to Bogg and whispered. "You know, something's just not right here… There was supposed to be one more person involved in this gunfight, Wyatt Earp. It was the three Earp brothers along with Doc Holliday that took on the Clantons. I wonder what happened to him?"

"I don't know." Bogg whispered. "Why don't you ask the old man? Maybe he might know."

Jeff walked over and stood beside the old man as he finished tying off the burlap cover.

"Sir, you have two of the Earp brothers in your wagon… what about the third? I believe his name was Wyatt. Do you know what happened to him?"

The old man strolled past Jeff and did not respond. Slowly and with great effort, he climbed back atop his wagon and sat down. Jeff, somewhat miffed at the old man for obviously ignoring his question, stomped over and stood at his side.

"Hey ol' man…are you gonna answer my question or not?" He said curtly.

"Jeffrey!" Bogg shouted as he walked over and stood beside his partner. "That was just plain rude."

"Not half as rude as him ignoring me." Jeff argued.

The old man, angered by the disrespect shown to him by the young Voyager, looked at Jeff and scowled. He then glanced at Bogg.

"This yer boy?" The old man asked with a gruff tone.

"Yep." Bogg replied. "He's mine, sassy mouth and all."

The old man turned his attention from Bogg and once again stared at Jeff.

"Ya know, when I was 'bout yer age, if I'da spoke to an elder like that, My paw woudda drug me to the woodshed and he'da tanned my hide, real good."

"I'm sorry, sir, I know my boy didn't mean no disrespect." Bogg said as he glared at his partner. "Ya 'pologize to da man, NOW!"

"Why should I…" Jeff exclaimed, before being cut off by Bogg

Bogg grabbed his partner by the collar and used a bit of gentle persuasion to convince him otherwise.

"Young man, yer already in a big heap a trouble. Now ya tell the man yer sorry or yer Uncle Mallory over dair will bear witness to me as I tan yer hide real good."

"But Bogg…I mean, dad..." Jeff argued.

"Don't you sass me boy!" Bogg said in a loud, commanding voice. "Now git to 'pologizing or yer Uncle Mallory will have to git ya a piller to sit on."

"Ok! OK!, I get the picture!" Jeff exclaimed. "You don't have to tell me twice."

"Watch it boy!" Bogg warned as he continued to play the tough dad routine. "Dontcha get familiar with me."

Bogg released his grip on his partner and Jeff slowly approached the old man, looked up at him as he began to stumble on his words.

"Sir… I…I…I'm sorry." Jeff said with remorse.

"Now, git over dair and stand by yer Uncle Mallory and bee-have yerself." Bogg commanded.

At this point, Jeff really didn't know if Bogg was actually mad at him, or if this was just another one of his grand performances. He bowed his head, put his hands in his pockets and walked despondently over and stood at Mallory's side.

"Jeff, what's wrong guy?" Mallory asked.

"Bogg's mad at me." Jeff quipped. "He said he's going to tan my hide."

"What did you do now?"

"I didn't do nothing…" Jeff replied. "I just asked the old man a question and he just ignored me. So, I point-blank asked the rude old man if he was going to answer my question."

"And Bogg's going to punish you for that?" Mallory asked in disbelief. "You must have done something else to make him mad at you."

"He wanted me to apologize for being rude to the old man." Jeff continued. "And I refused. He was rude to me first, so he should have been the one to apologize, not me."

Bogg turned his attention back to the old man.

"Sir, can you tell me more 'bout dis third brother, Wyatt?" Bogg asked. "Whatcha think happened to him?"

For a moment, the old man sat silent as he stroked his whiskers and again pondered the question. Suddenly, he began to speak.

"You know, now that you mention it, I re-call him bein' kill'd in a gunfight of his own choosin'."

"Do ya re-call where and when?" Bogg asked.

"As I recollect, 'twas in Dodge City." The old man replied. "It happened a few year back."

"Thank you. If ya don't mind, could ya wait here. I'll be back." Bogg said as he ran over to have a brief discussion with his two partners.

"You'd best make it quick or these here men will rize quite a stank if'n they stay out'n the sun too long." The old man warned.

Bogg ran over and stood beside his two partners. Before he could say a word, Jeff chimed in.

"Bogg, I…I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude to the old man. You're not really going to tan my hide are you?"

Bogg put a hand on Jeff's shoulder and began to speak to him in a warm, reassuring tone.

"Relax kiddo, it was all an act."

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew! For a moment there, I thought I was really going to get it."

"Oh, you did, huh? " Bogg teased. "Had you fooled, didn't I?"

"You sure did."

"Kid, I know you didn't mean to be rude. I saw and heard for myself what happened. You asked a simple question and the old man over there pretty much ignored you. I understand you were aggravated. I probably would have been also. Especially, if I'd been in your shoes. But you could have approached the situation with a little more tact you know."

"I know and I'm sorry." Jeff replied.

"It's all ok, kiddo." Bogg reassured as he smiled and winked at his partner.

"So Phineas…" Mallory interrupted. "Did you find out anything?"

"Well, yes, quite a bit. The kid here was on to something. The old man said Wyatt Earp was killed in a gunfight in Dodge City several years ago."

Mallory again pulled out his guidebook and began thumbing through the pages. "Let's see here, Wyatt Earp…Wyatt Earp… Ok, found him!"

Bogg rolled his eyes as he leaned over and whispered to his partner. "I think while Shawn figures out where we need to go next, I'll go thank the old man over there and let him be on his way."

"Good idea!" Jeff whispered. "I'll stay here and help Shawn."

Bogg walked over to the wagon, kindly thanked the old man for his information and sent him on his way. As he strolled back over to where his colleagues were standing, he couldn't help but notice Mallory was still studying his guidebook.

"Shawn, have you figured it out yet?" Bogg asked.

"Yes, Phineas." Mallory replied slowly as he continued to read. "It seems as though the gunfight in question occurred in Dodge City, Kansas on September 19, 1878. Wyatt Earp met up with a guy by the name of Clay Allison there. There was a small confrontation on the sidewalk, however, Allison ended up riding out of town without incident."

"Guys, it looks like we've got yet another problem that needs to be resolved. Only this time in Dodge City." He said with a smile. "You two ready to rock and roll?"

"Huh?" Jeff asked as he and Bogg stared at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Rock and roll?" Bogg asked. "Where DID you come up with that one?"

"Oh, it's from 20th Century Earth." Mallory replied. "I think it's just too cool."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Yea, right on! It's way cool daddy-o! NOT!"

Bogg elbowed his partner in the arm as he turned and gave him the 'smart kid' look.

"Ouch, why'd you have to do that?" Jeff moaned in a whisper.

"'Cause you needed it." Bogg said curtly.

"I did not!" Jeff argued.

At that moment, Mallory chimed in. "C'mon guys, can we get this show on the road? Besides, I'm getting hungry."

Bogg and Jeff stopped their arguing just as their friend pulled out his omni and set the controls.

"You guys ready?" Mallory asked.

The two took hold of Mallory's arms as Bogg acknowledged. "We're ready! Let's rock and roll!"

Mallory pushed the button and they were on their way.


	7. Flies In the Ointment

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 6 – FLIES IN THE OINTMENT**

Bogg, Jeff and Mallory left Tombstone and were now on their way to Dodge City to find out exactly what happened to the third Earp brother. Their trip through the time vortex was progressing as usual until suddenly the transport bubble they were travelling in began to shake violently. Outside, the ripples in time that normally passed them in rapid succession began to slow down and their light diminished in intensity. After a few moments, the transport bubble stopped and the three found themselves in the middle of the time vortex with the vastness of space surrounding them.

"Booooogggg!" Jeff exclaimed. "Why have we stopped?"

"Kid. I don't know. Something must have happened to the omni. Shawn, what does your omni say?"

Mallory pulled out his omni and opened it. Much to his surprise, both lights were flashing in a rather unusual pattern. "Beep, beep, beep, ding, beep, beep, beep, ding."

"Wait a minute!" He exclaimed. "I remember this code from one of my classes. This sequence of lights means the omni has lost its location tracking ability."

"How do we fix it?" Jeff asked.

"We don't." Bogg replied abruptly.

Jeff's eyes grew wide. "What? What do you mean, 'We don't'?"

Bogg waived his arms and floated over beside his partner. He put his arm around him and tried his best to explain.

"Kid, this is something we can't fix. It means the omni has lost communication with the control computer back at VHQ."

"Are you saying we're lost?" Jeff asked, now trembling with fear.

"No, kid, were not lost." His partner reassured in a nonchalant manner. "More like stuck."

Bogg, I…I…I'm scared…" Jeff said with his squeaky voice."

"Hey, there's nothing to be scared about." Bogg reassured with a smile. "We're all in this together. Shawn and I are not going to let anything happen to you. Isn't that right Shawn?"

Mallory did not respond. As he floated in the zero gravity environment of the transport bubble, his mind was busy analyzing the predicament they were currently in and attempting to come up with a way to get out of it. Like his preceptor, he knew they only had a limited amount of air inside the bubble, so something had to be done quickly.

"Shawn, are you ok?" Bogg asked.

"Oh, uh…um…yea. Yea, I'm ok…I'm just thinking." Mallory replied.

---------------

It had been a stress filled morning for the staff of Mission Control. The Visiphones were buzzing incessantly as field personnel reported in with their questions and problems. Another year had passed. The day which the staff of Mission Control dreaded more than any other was once again upon them. Today marked the first day on the job for this year's Voyager graduating class. Like those of years past, it was to be a day that could only be described as the ultimate culmination of organized chaos.

Mission Specialist Connors, who was at the moment feeling the heavy weight of her responsibilities squarely on her shoulders, had taken a moment to run to the break-room for another cup of coffee. This, being her third cup in a little more than two hours was the only means of calming her frazzled nerves and keeping her mind focused on the task at hand. With a fresh cup in one hand and a gooey, sweet cinnamon roll in the other, she began her short trip back to her department.

Technician David Edwards was just finishing up his shift and about to go off-duty. At least that was his intentions at the moment. Before he could leave his desk, he was suddenly caught off guard by a host of unusual error messages that popped up on his computer screen. Concerned by what had just presented itself, he jumped to his feet and ran over to consult one of his colleagues, Jo Brennan.

"Jo, have you seen Lindsey?" Edwards asked.

"No, David, not lately." She replied. "She probably went to the break room to get another cup of coffee… Why?"

"I need her to take a look at my console. It's showing some really unusual errors that just occurred on the Omni Control Computer." He said with a hint of concern in his voice.

"What type of errors?" Brennan asked curiously.

"You won't believe it…core memory errors." He replied.

"Core memory errors? That's not possible!" She exclaimed. "All core memory is fault tolerant and self-repairing. Any problem would be instantly isolated and immediately repaired by the system."

"I know… That's what makes this so strange."

Brennan and Edwards were the two senior members of Connor's department. Both had been Voyager field personnel for many years prior to joining the Mission Control group. Brennan, with a Level IV certification in time mechanics was responsible for analyzing and correcting problems with the Omni Control Computer's space/time transport subsystems. Edwards, with certifications in universe history, time mechanics and systems engineering was solely responsible for analyzing and correcting problems with the time tracking and coordinate subsystems of the Omni Control Computer. With these two experts in her department leading the charge, there was no problem that could not be resolved or at least that's what everyone believed.

Brennan got up from her workstation and stood near her colleague. "I've got to see this…Show me!" The two technicians walked briskly over to Edward's console and Brennan began to read the messages that were prominently displayed.

"Hmmm. I see it now." She acknowledged. "I see it, but I still can't believe it."

Boldly displayed on Edwards' console were the following messages:

_UNRECOVERABLE MEMORY ERROR – Address: 0FFH, Module L14, Slot 8_

_UNRECOVERABLE MEMORY ERROR – Address: 0FEH, Module L14, Slot 8 _

Without warning, several additional error messages began to scroll up the screen.

_UNRECOVERABLE MEMORY ERROR – Address: 0A3H, Module L14, Slot 1_

_UNRECOVERABLE MEMORY ERROR – Address: 07BH, Module L14, Slot 3_

"Look! " Brennan exclaimed as he pointed to the screen. "There it goes again. All these unrecoverable memory errors are not normal. Have you tried to run a diagnostic?"

"No, not yet." Edwards replied as he sat down at his workstation. "Let's see what the diagnostic program says."

Edwards began furiously typing commands onto his keyboard. The screen cleared and the following messages were displayed.

_OCC Memory Diagnostic Starting…_

_UNRECOVERABLE MEMORY ERROR - Address: 08AH, Module L14, Slot 3_

_WARNING! OCC Memory Diagnostic failed due to invalid CRC bit in memory location:_

_Address: 08AH, Module L14, Slot 3_

_OCC Memory Diagnostic terminated._

"Well, so much for that idea." Edwards said with some sarcasm. "We better find Lindsey, quick!"

At this point, the two technicians raced across the room making their way for the door. As Edwards was about to reach for the handle, the door suddenly swung open and Mission Specialist Connors stepped inside.

"Lindsey!" Edwards shouted. "Come quick, we've got a problem."

"Oh no, don't tell me…" Connors said as she rolled her eyes and nodded. "One of the new graduates has landed on the roof again."

"No, this is something much more serious." Brennan said with some intensity in her voice. "There's a problem with the Omni Control Computer."

"What kind of problem?" Connors asked.

"Unrecoverable memory errors." Brennan replied.

"Unrecoverable memory errors?" Connors asked in a state of disbelief. "That's just not possible."

"Lindsey, I agree, but I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. " Brennan confessed. "Come, have a look for yourself."

"Did you run a memory diagnostic?" Connors asked.

"Yes ma'am, but it failed." Edwards responded.

As the three started toward Edward's console, the emergency claxon sounded.

Connors threw her hands into the air. "Now what? That's all we need is a fire right now." She moaned as she quickly stopped and ran toward her own console.

"Don't worry, Lindsey." Edwards reassured. "They're just testing the fire suppression system."

"Hmmmph… Like the boys at VT have got nothing better to do today." Connors quipped as she turned back and followed her colleagues.

By the time the three reached Edwards' console, it was flashing all kinds of messages with regard to the memory errors on Omni Control Computer. Connors sat down in front of it and attempted to read the information rapidly scrolling down the screen. Suddenly, one particular item caught her completely by surprise. She pressed a key on the keyboard to pause the display.

_ALERT! – Omnichron transport failure – Exit from time vortex failed due to error in location_

_tracking memory. Omni ID: X731802_

"What is this?" Connors asked.

"I'd say, it's the worst thing we could have ever imagined…and it's happened." Edwards replied. "We have a Omni transport failure…and it must be linked to all those OCC memory errors."

"An omni transport failure…" Brennan exclaimed. "That means…"

Edwards interrupted. "We have field personnel trapped in a time vortex."

Connors made note of the omni ID number on the screen and quickly ran over and sat down at her console. Edwards and Brennan followed suit and stood silently behind her, observing her efforts. She began to type feverishly as she attempted to identify the omni and the field personnel assigned to it. Within moments, she gasped when the names of the field personnel in question displayed on the screen.

"Oh no. This is not possible!" Connors exclaimed.

Connors pushed another button on her console just as Supervisor Roberts appeared behind her.

"Mr. Edwards, Mrs. Brennan, Miss Connors…What's going on in here?" Roberts asked.

"Sir, we've had a major malfunction in the Omni Control Computer." Connors replied

"Have you assessed the problem?"

Connors swiveled around in her chair to face her supervisor. "Yes sir, we have several memory modules with unrecoverable errors and three of our field personnel are trapped in their transport bubble inside a time vortex."

"Have you identified them?"

"Yes sir, it's one of the new graduates, Shawn Mallory along with Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey Jones."

"Oh, this is not good...not good at all." Roberts said as he shook his head in disbelief. "We don't have much time. Those transport bubbles only have enough air to sustain a Voyager for a short period of time. We've got to get this problem fixed and now."

"You said it sir."

Director Roberts handed his control key to Connors. "Miss Connors, please initiate a CODE RED Alert. Lockdown all omnis with the exception of the one they are using in the time vortex. All field personnel are to remain in their current time zones until we resolve this computer malfunction."

Connors, who was now concerned over the state of her three friends, nervously typed a few commands on her console. Suddenly, the computer displayed a large red warning box on the screen and in its rather mechanical sounding voice responded.

"To access command functions, insert appropriate control keycard into the slot."

Connors, her hands trembling with fear, struggled as she attempted to insert the keycard into the slot. Roberts, noticing her apparent difficulty, reached over and steadied her hand as he helped her push the card into the machine.

"Lindsey, I know you are concerned about your three colleagues. I am as well. But we must detach ourselves from our emotions at the moment for their sakes." Roberts reassured with a warm, father-like tone."

"I'm sorry, sir…" Connors replied as she turned and looked at her boss. "I know…I need to be strong, for them."

Roberts smiled at his employee and then put his hand on her shoulder in a gesture of support.

"Control keycard #1 has been inserted." The computer replied with a cold, unnerving voice. "Awaiting voice authorization from Mission Specialist."

Connors turned back to her console and started to speak.

"Computer, this is Mission Specialist Lindsey Connors, Id number 832516. Authorization…Alpha-6-3-Charlie-Victor."

Acknowledging her input, the computer replied. "Connors, Lindsey, I-d number…8-3-2-5-1-6, rank…Mission Specialist… Authorization confirmed."

The computer continuing its authorization sequence, once again prompted for more information.

"Awaiting supervisor voice authorization."

Roberts leaned down and began to speak.

"Computer, this is Supervisor Marcus Roberts, Id number 672925, Authorization…Gulf-7-8-Victor-Alpha"

Again, the computer confirmed the information given.

"Roberts, Marcus, ID number…6-7-2-9-2-5, rank…Mission Control Supervisor… Authorization confirmed… Awaiting command. "

At that point, Connors commanded the computer to begin the requested task. "Computer, initiate CODE RED Alert, lockdown all omnis with the exception of Omni ID X731802. Time delay zero."

After a few moments, the computer responded in its cold, mechanical voice as it displayed the results of its efforts on the screen in flashing red letters.

"Unable to comply with Code Red Alert and Lockdown due to memory error at 07AH, Module L14, Slot 3. Supervisor command terminated."

"Well, sir, what do we do now?" Connors asked. "Somehow we've got to keep those in the field from using their omnis, otherwise, they will become trapped also.

"Are you able to broadcast a message to all omnis?" Roberts asked.

"I should be able to sir." Connors acknowledged. "The communications system is a totally separate system and shouldn't be affected."

"Well get on the horn now and advise all field personnel to stay in their respective time zones until further notice." He ordered.

Connors removed the control keycard from the console and handed it back to Roberts.

"Miss Connors, you and your staff try to determine what caused this problem with the OCC. If you have to, contact IS & T and get them up here, pronto." Roberts urged. "In the meantime, I'll inform the Director of the situation."

Roberts turned and with all haste went back to his office. In the meantime, Connors put her staff to work.

"Jo, David… You two see if you can figure out what happened to those memory modules. Get on the visiphone with IS & T if you have to. See if there's any way we can repair those modules and get that part of the system back up and running. I want ideas on how to resolve this within the next 5 minutes. "

"That might be a problem, Lindsey…" Edwards pointed out. "You know, it's their break time and the I S & T department will only be minimally staffed."

"David, I don't care if they are having having a meeting with the Prime Minister and sipping wine from gold goblets! You two get down to the cafeteria and find some additional manpower from IS & T to help with this. Do whatever it takes to get them here, even if you have to drag them by their feet to get them here!"

"Yes ma'am." Edwards acknowledged as he and his colleague ran to the door, opened it and darted off down the hallway.

Connors pressed a couple of keys on her keyboard. At that point a small door opened on her desk and a microphone emerged. She pressed some additional keys and then began to speak.

"Attention all field personnel! Attention all field personnel. This is Mission Control, Mission Specialist Connors speaking. We have a Code Red Alert in effect. I repeat, Code Red Alert is now in effect All field personnel are to remain in their respective time zones until further notice. I repeat. All field personnel are to remain in their respective time zones until further notice. Mission Control out."

-------------------

Inside their transport bubble, the three Voyagers were startled by a broken, static filled message being transmitted across the vastness of space and time. Bogg and Jeff moved closer to Mallory in an attempt to decipher what was now coming across his omni.

"Attention… pers…nel…Code….Alert… I… Red… in progress… All… remain…time…zones…notice………………Miss…ol…out.

"Shawn, that sounds like Mission Control." Bogg exclaimed. "Can you do anything to clear up that signal?"

"Sure, Phineas." Mallory replied. "Hold on."

"Voy…ger Mallo…This…Miss…Con…ol".

Mallory fiddled with one of the buttons on his omni and after a few moments, they could hear Mission Specialist Connors, quite clearly.

"Voyager Mallory, this is Mission Control. Do you read?"

Bogg turned to his worried partner and exclaimed. "See kid, they know we're here. That's Lindsey! She'll straighten this mess out."

"Mission Control, this is Mallory, Go ahead." Mallory replied.

"Voyager Mallory, are you and your colleagues ok?" She asked.

"Yes, we are all ok." Mallory responded. "We just feel like a flies trapped in a jar of ointment."

"Well, don't worry." Connors reassured. "We are working on the problem as we speak. We should have you out of that ointment shortly. Just be calm and hang in there."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Mallory asked.

"It's a long story. And I don't have all the answers yet. Some faults developed in the Omni Control Computer. So far, we've determined the problem is located in several memory banks used primarily for omni location tracking. I've got IS & T and two of my best technicians working on it. It's too bad you aren't here right now, I could sure use your technical expertise."

"Lindsey, I may not be there, but maybe I can do more than just hang around here floating inside this bubble." Mallory said with a hint of humor in his voice. "Why don't you give me the details of what you know thus far?"

While Mallory and Connors discussed the details of the malfunction, Bogg knew he had to do something to dispel the fear that was now quite apparent in his partner's eyes. Slowly, he began to maneuver himself closer to him."

"Hey, kid. Why the long face?"

"Bogg… I'm worried." Jeff said sullenly. "What if we're stuck here forever?"

"We're not gonna be stuck here forever." Bogg replied with some cynicism. "They'll get us out of here."

"But what if…they don't."

"What are you trying to say kiddo…You don't like the idea of being stuck with me forever?" Bogg said with a grin.

Being somewhat hesitant with his reply, Jeff stumbled on his words. "No… it's not that…"

"Well, it sounds like that to me, you little pain." Bogg teased as he poked Jeff in the ribs.

"Quit it Bogg, that tickles!" Jeff shouted as he squirmed and started laughing.

Just as quickly as Bogg had provoked his partner to laughter, Jeff dropped his head and became silent.

At this point, Bogg knew he had to do something to get his partner's mind off their current predicament. He began to reminisce about their previous voyages and some of the tight spots they had been in the past.

"You know, we've been in worse situations than this one." Bogg continued. "You remember the time after the trial when Drake recovered his omni from us and left us stranded with Sam Houston?"

"Yea, I remember." Jeff acknowledged. "We were prepared to spend the rest of our lives in that little village."

"But what happened?"

"Susan came to our rescue." Jeff replied.

"Yep, Susan came and brought us back to VHQ."

Jeff, who was now somewhat skeptical with his partner's musings, looked at Bogg and argued the point. "That situation was different. We were on Earth and in no apparent danger. We were just stranded in a different time zone with no omni."

"How so, kid?" Bogg asked. "Don't you remember, we were also in the middle of a war zone? And that situation is just as dangerous as the one we are in right now."

Bogg remained silent for a moment and then began to speak again.

"Ok, what about the time we were on the Santa Maria in the middle of the storm? While I was climbing around on the rigging trying to catch Drake, that ship could have sunk with us on it. But we made it through just fine."

"Well, I guess you do have a point." Jeff said with some skepticism. "But, we had an omni and could have left at any moment."

"Oh…" Bogg said as he lowered his head with an expression of defeat. "Looks like this is going nowhere." He mumbled to himself.

Overhearing this, Jeff looked at Bogg as he put on a fake smile and tried his best to show his appreciation for his partner's efforts to comfort him.

"Bogg?"

"Yes, kiddo."

"Thanks."

"For what?" Bogg asked innocently.

"For being there for me." Jeff replied. "and for trying to take my mind off this situation."

Bogg put his arm around Jeff and continued to reassure him.

"Kid, that's my job. It's that dad thing. You remember? Please don't worry, we will get out of this, I assure you."


	8. Drastic Measures

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 7 - DRASTIC MEASURES**

Back at Mission Control, Connors, Edwards and Brennan along with several technicians from IS & T were frantically working to come up with a suitable plan to rescue their trapped colleagues. They knew all too well time was of the essence as the oxygen supply in their colleagues' transport bubble was rapidly running out.

One of the technicians from the IS & T department ran over to Connor's console.

"Miss Connors?" He asked.

"Yes. " Connors replied. "Have you found the problem?"

"Yes ma'am. We found the problem modules and we're ready to replace them."

"Well, what are you waiting for, go ahead and replace them." She said impatiently.

"There's just one problem, ma'am."

"What's that?" Connors asked.

"It's like this ma'am. In order to replace the failed memory modules, we will need to shut down the OCC."

"Wait a minute. I thought those modules were hot-swappable with the system up and running?" She asked, being puzzled by the news.

"I'm sorry ma'am. Those modules are not." The technician replied. "To replace them, the system has to be shutdown and powered off, so as not to damage the new modules."

"Are you sure?" Connors asked. "The guys in the vortex are running out of air. We don't have time for a full system shutdown and restart."

At that moment, Edwards and Brennan walked up and entered the conversation.

"Lindsey, what's wrong?" Brennan asked.

Connors shook her head in disgust. "The guys are running out of air and the only way to resolve the problem with the OCC is to shutdown the system, replace the failed modules and then restart."

At this point, Edwards shook his head and walked slowly away from the group. Once he reached the far side of the room, he stroked his chin with his hand and stared out the window.

"But that could take 20 minutes to accomplish a full system restart." Brennan said with some hesitation.

"You see my problem." Connors said.

Suddenly, Edwards, who had seemed uninterested in the situation, had an epiphany. He spun around to face his colleagues with his clenched fist in the air. "Wait a minute! Wait just a minute!" He shouted as he ran toward them.

"What! What!" Connors prodded. "You have an idea?"

"I sure do!" Edwards exclaimed with excitement. "A full system shutdown takes what…about 2 minutes at the max?"

"Yes, more or less." Connors said.

Edwards looked at the technician. "And how long would it take your guys to replace those failed modules?"

"I'd say at the most, 5 minutes max." The technician replied.

Connors chimed in. "David, shutting down the system and replacing the modules is not the problem. It's the time it takes to restart. That's the problem. Before we even finish restarting the system, our guys will be out of air and within minutes they'll be gone."

"What about doing a partial system restart?" Edwards asked.

Brennan, now confused, looked at her partner and replied. "Huh? Run that one by me one more time."

"What do you mean?" Connors asked. "Explain."

"As I see it, we don't need the entire system up and running to be able to rescue our trapped colleagues. We only need 2 or 3 key systems. You know, OCS, LTRAK and DMAT/REMAT. If we shutdown the system, replace the modules and do a partial restart with just those subsystems, the OCC should be back up in less than 10 minutes, tops."

"That's brilliant!" Connors exclaimed.

"Wow! Brilliant!" Brennan exclaimed as she winked at her partner. "I guess there is something between those ears after all.

"Are you certain it will work?" Connors asked.

"Well, Lindsey, There's no guarantees but it sure beats the alternative."

Connors sat there for a moment and pondered Edwards' proposal.

"Let's do it!" Connors said forcefully. "It will work…it must work for their sakes. You three get started. In the meantime, I'll inform our guys that we have a plan."

Edwards, Brennan and the technician from IS & T left the area to execute Edward's plan. In the meantime, Connors contacted Mallory to inform him of their plan.

"Shawn, this is Mission Control. Do you read?"

"Lindsey, I read you loud and clear." Mallory replied in a weak voice.

"Guys, I think we have a solution to your problem. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a solution just the same."

"Lindsey, who cares if it's perfect? If it gets us out of this mess, I don't care how perfect it is." Mallory said as he began to gasp for air.

"Shawn, what's wrong?" Connors asked. "Are you guys ok?"

"Lindsey we are running out of air. It's getting harder for us to breathe."

"Ok, you just listen and conserve your strength and your oxygen. In order to replace the damaged memory modules of the OCC, we need to shutdown the system and then restart it."

"Lindsey that option will take way too long." Mallory said as he gasped. "We don't have much time left."

"Mallory, please just listen." Connors urged.

"We are going to shutdown the system, replace the modules and then do a partial restart. Instead of doing a full restart, we are just going to restart the three key subsystems needed to get you guys out of there. We think this will work, but there are no guarantees."

"Lindsey, anything is…better… than being here." Mallory said with a sluggish tone. "Which systems… do you… have in mind?"

"OCS, LTRAK and DMAT/REMAT" Connors replied. "Can you think of anything else?"

There was silence for a moment before Mallory finally responded. "You will… need to start… CHRON…as well. If you don't… the system… will know…where we are in space… but not know…where we are in time. CHRON…works with LTRAK… uses CHRONlog… to determine…exact space/time coordinates…for each omni."

"Do you think it will work?" Connors asked.

"Yes", Mallory replied as he continued to gasp for air. "Go for it…Lindsey! It's…our only chance!"

"Will do! Once the system is back up, we'll divert you guys back here." Connors replied.

"No!... That…will…take…too much time…" Mallory argued. "Send…us …to our destination… We'll be…ok!"

"Are you sure?" Lindsey asked. "How are Bogg and Jeff holding up?"

"Yes…I'm sure…Lindsey. They are… unconscious… but…still alive."

"You hang in there. We'll have you guys out of there shortly." Connors reassured. "Mission Control out."

Connors quickly got on her Visiphone and contacted OCC operations.

"OCC operations, James, speaking."

"James, this is Lindsey in Mission Control. Has David Edwards got there yet?"

"Yes ma'am, I'll get him for you." James replied as he turned and yelled off into the distance. "Hey, David! It's Lindsey in Mission Control… Sounds urgent!"

After a few moments, Edwards appeared on her Visiphone screen.

"What is it, ma'am?" Edwards asked.

"I just informed Mallory of our plan. He seems to think it will work, but he said we'll need to restart CHRON as well."

"Oh my!" Edwards exclaimed. "He's right! I didn't even think of that."

"Well, now you know." Connors teased. "Now get back to work… and good luck."

"Good luck to us all!" Edwards replied before the screen went blank.

At this point, Connors took a deep, cleansing breath. After taking a sip of her coffee, she sat back in her chair and patiently began to wait.

Seven minutes had passed. All was going as predicted with Edward's plan. IS & T had finished replacing the damaged memory modules in the OCC and had initiated the partial system restart. Edwards, Brennan and several of the IS & T technicians were huddled around the OCC main console in the OCC Operations Center monitoring the situation as the system went through its abbreviated restart process. They held their breath as they waited for the first signs of their plan's success.

"Here it goes." One technician announced.

At this point the OCC console began to display messages showing the progress of the system restart.

"_OCC SYSTEM RESTART IN PROGRESS…"_

"_Startup options: OCS, DMAT/REMAT, CHRON, LTRAK only_

"_OCS - Omni Control Supervisor started…"_

"_DMAT/REMAT system started…" _

"Well, two systems down, two more to go" Brennan said as she looked at Edwards and smiled.

"_LTRAK - Location Tracking started…"_

"Cross your fingers, only one more to go." Edwards said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

After a few moments, the message they all were waiting for finally appeared on the screen.

"_CHRON Start Up in Progress… _

"_CHRON - Auto-synchronizing with LTRAK"_

"_CHRON - Auto-synchronization with LTRAK complete..."_

_ "OCC SYSTEM RESTART COMPLETE…"_

"Looks like all is proceeding as planned. " Edwards said to Brennan.

"And now for the moment of truth…" Edwards whispered to himself as he stared at the OCC console. "C'mon…you intelligent hunk of metal, figure it out… Find the lost omni…You can do it."

While they continued to monitor the progress of the OCC, the system began to identify and correct the problems caused by the previous memory module errors.

"_OCS - CHRON Directive C001 - Analyzing CHRONlog…"_

"_OCS - LTRAK Directive L001 - Omnichron Identification and Tracking Update in Progress"_

"_OCS - LTRAK has identified 112 Active Omnichrons in 111 Time Zones." _

"_OCS - LTRAK has identified 1 Active Omnichron stalled in transport mode."_

"_Omni ID: X731802 Space/Time Vector: 131223181412"_

"_OCS - Directive A000: Re-Initializing Omni ID: X731802"_

"_OCS - Response from Omni ID X731802: Omni initialized and online"_

Edwards upon seeing the response from the OCC, turned and threw a clenched fist into the air in celebration of what just occurred. "Yes! YES!" He yelled confidently.

After seeing these messages, the three began to celebrate their accomplishments; however, Bogg, Jeff and Mallory were not yet out of danger. Suddenly, the OCC console's claxon sounded.

"_OCS - WARNING! Oxygen supply at critical level in transport bubble Omni ID: X731802"_

"_OCS - Directive O111: Reestablishing Transport Environment"_

"This is not good." Brennan said as she bit her lip nervously.

"_OCS - Response from Omni ID X731802 - Transport Environment reestablished."_

Brennan put her arm around Edwards and spoke in a soft, tone. "I only hope we got to them in time."

"_OCS - Directive A381: Uploading vector coordinates to Omni ID: X731802"_

"_OCS - Response from Omni ID X731802 - Coordinates uploaded and locked."_

"_OCS - Directive V101: Time Vortex Stabilization started for Omni ID X731802"_

"_OCS - Response from Omni ID X731802 - Time Vortex Stabilized"_

"_OCS - Response from Omni ID X731802 - Transport in progress"_

"_Destination: Earth, Dodge City Kansas, USA September 18, 1878 21:22 CST"_

"_OCS - Response from Omni ID X731802 - Arrival at local space/time coordinates"_

"_OCS - Directive Z031: Open Transport Bubble portal"_

"_OCS - REMAT Directive R001 - Rematerialization in progress"_

"_OCS - Response from Omni ID X731802 - Rematerialization complete"_

"_OCS - Response from Omni ID X731802 - Transport complete."_

As the celebration continued, Edwards ran over to the closest Visiphone and contacted Connors with a status update.

"Lindsey, this is David. The plan was a success. The OCC confirmed their arrival at Dodge City just moments ago."

"Let me contact them and see if they are ok." Connors replied anxiously

She leaned over and after pushing a few keys on her console, began to speak into the microphone.

"Voyager Mallory, this is Mission Control… How do you read?"

For a moment there was silence. Anxious to determine if her friends were ok, out of desperation, she started yelling into the microphone.

-------------------

In Dodge City, it was late evening. On the horizon, a full moon was beaming its reddish hue over the vastness of the plains as a lone coyote in the distance called out for his mate. The town was dark and quiet. The only signs of activity were the seemingly animated shadows being cast by the soft, flickering glow of the oil lanterns, which were gracing the façades of each building.

In a darkened alley between the general store and the Bank of Dodge, Bogg, Jeff and Mallory had fallen through the time portal and landed onto some burlap bags filled with grain. As they struggled to regain consciousness from the lack of oxygen, the concerned voice of their colleague pierced the silence.

"Voyager Mallory, this is Lindsey at Mission Control… How do you read? Are you guys ok?"

Still, there was silence. As Connors began to get up from her chair to get some help, a familiar voice, though weak, came across the speaker.

"Mission…Control… This is Mallory… We've arrived…at our destination. We've got…a red light on…the omni…and…we're…ok…"

Connors quickly sat back down and started blurting out questions to her colleague without pause.

"Shawn, are you alright? How's Bogg and Jeff? Is anyone hurt?"

"Lindsey, please calm down before you do yourself a mischief. We are all a bit shaken up, a little bit low on oxygen, but we are otherwise ok." Mallory replied.

"Do you want me to send someone there to help you?" Connors asked.

"No. We're fine. Phineas and Jeff are now on their feet, trying to shake off the effects. I think at this time, the three of us just need a good nights' rest. We should be ok in the morning.

"I see by your coordinates, you three are in Dodge City, Kansas. Are you gonna be ok there?" Connors asked.

"Yes, we'll be fine." Mallory acknowledged. "That's where we were headed when the problem occurred."

"Ok, then. Can I speak to Phineas?" Connors asked.

"Yea, sure. Hold on." Mallory replied as he handed his omni to Bogg.

"Lindsey?" Bogg asked.

Connors, whose hands were now trembling after being shook up by the incident, began to speak. "Phineas…Are you ok? I was so worried about you three."

"Shawn, Jeff and I are just fine… A bit light-headed at the moment, but fine none-the-less." Bogg said as Jeff slowly walked up with his hand on his forehead and stood beside him.

"Bogg?" Jeff asked.

"Yea kid."

"Is this how you feel when you get a hangover?"

Bogg chuckled. "Lindsey, did you get that. The kid thinks he's drunk."

Lindsey sat back in her chair and laughed.

"Jeff, this is Lindsey. To answer your question, No. This is not how it feels after you get drunk… That feeling, my friend is much worse than what you're experiencing now."

"Well, kiddo" Bogg said with a smile. "There you have it. Just remember this if you ever get the urge to partake of any libations."

"Oh, believe me, I won't forget it." Jeff said as he began to lose his balance. "I feel like someone has hit me in the head with a Louisville Slugger."

Without warning, Jeff began to lose his balance from the lack of oxygen.

"Whoa, there." Bogg shouted as he grabbed his partner. "I think we need to get you to bed."

Bogg handed the omni back to Mallory, picked up Jeff in his arms and headed down the street toward the Dodge House.

"Lindsey, it's Shawn again. We're going to turn in for the night and get some sleep, ok? We'll talk to you guys again in the morning. And one more thing… Our thanks to you and the guys for getting us out of this mess. I believe I can speak for Phineas and Jeff, you all did an excellent job."

"Thank you Shawn. That's what we are all here for." Connors replied. "Is there anything you want me to tell Roz?"

"No, Lindsey. No, wait! Yes. Just tell her we had a small problem and everything's ok now. There's no sense giving her all the details. The worst is over and all that will do is upset her." Mallory said. "Give her my love and tell her I'll be back soon."

"Will do Shawn." Lindsey acknowledged. "You three get a good night's rest. You deserve it after all this."

"Thank you, we most certainly will. Mallory out."


	9. A Terror Like No Other

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 8 - A TERROR LIKE NO OTHER**

Tired, oxygen-deprived and unsteady on their feet, Bogg, with Jeff in his arms, along with Mallory supported each other as they struggled to reach the door of the Dodge House. Using the last bit of strength they could muster, the three managed to step up on the front porch, open the doors and walk inside. No sooner than they had closed the doors behind him, a middle-aged man dressed in a nightshirt and cap emerged from a small room behind the front desk.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" He asked before rubbing his eyes and yawning.

Mallory paced himself as walked over to the desk. "Are you the proprietor of this establishment?" He asked.

"Sure am. What can I do for you three so late in the evening?"

"We are in need of a place to sleep for the night. Do you have any spare rooms?" Mallory asked.

"We're almost booked up this evening, but I believe I may have something. Let me take a gander at the book here." The proprietor turned the sign-in book to face him and began to rummage around in his pockets, apparently looking for something.

"Excuse me a moment while I find my spectacles." He said with a chuckle. "I'm pretty much blind without them."

Mallory glanced over at Bogg and smiled. "By all means, sir, please do." Mallory acknowledged.

With his spectacles now in his hand, he polished them on his nightshirt and clipped them to his nose. As he leaned over to get a better view of the book, he began to thumb through its pages.

"Hmmmm…let's see now… Oh yes… here we are… Gentlemen, it looks like I only have two spare rooms left. Will that do?"

Mallory turned to Bogg to get his answer. "How 'bout it, Phineas? He's got two rooms left. Is that ok?"

Bogg rolled his eyes and grimaced as the dead weight of his partner was now taking its toll on his body. "That's fine Shawn. Besides, I'm too tired to carry the kid anywhere else. Jeff and I can share a room; you take the other, ok?"

"Are you sure?" Mallory asked.

"Positive." Bogg replied. "We'll be fine."

Bogg hadn't realized that even though his partner's eyes were closed, he was very much in tune with what was currently going on around him.

"Jeff and I have bunked together before." Bogg continued. "It's not bad…really. You just have to get used to his awful snoring. Sometimes it gets so bad, I have to put a piece of jerky in my ears."

"What?" Mallory exclaimed. "You put jerky in your ears?"

Without warning, Jeff slowly lifted his head and began to speak.

"I do NOT snore!" Jeff said sleepily. "And Bogg doesn't put jerky in his ears either."

"Shhhh, kiddo!" Bogg whispered. "I'm just teasing."

Jeff put his head back down on his partner's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Sir, we'll take them both." Mallory said as he leaned against the desk. "How much?"

"Rooms are two bits a night in advance."

Mallory reached down, picked his backpack up off the floor and slid it onto the counter. He unzipped it, reached in and began to dig around inside. After a time, he pulled out a single gold doubloon and placed it on the counter.

"Will this take care of it?" Mallory asked.

The old man picked up the doubloon, held it close to his eye for a moment and then bit the edge of it.

"Why yes! What is it?" He asked while continuing his examination of the coin. "From the looks of it, it's quite old"

"It's a Spanish doubloon." Mallory explained. "It's very rare and 100% pure gold."

Extremely satisfied with the payment, the proprietor turned the large sign-in book around, dipped a pen in a nearby ink well and passed it to Mallory.

"If you would, please sign here…and here." The proprietor said as he pointed to two lines in the book.

Mallory scribbled his signature onto the book, glanced at Bogg and gave him a big thumb's up. The proprietor smiled curiously before reaching under the desk to retrieve the room keys.

"Gentlemen, here are your keys. You will find your rooms at the top of the stairs on the right. Oh, one last thing. Breakfast will be served in the dining room beginning at 6:00 am."

Bogg breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew! Finally I'll be able to put the kid down. He's heavier than he looks, you know."

Mallory smiled and nodded at Bogg's statement before turning his attention back to the proprietor.

"Thank you sir." Mallory whispered.

"If there's anything else I can do for you gentlemen, please ask." The proprietor said as he turned and walked toward the door to his sleeping quarters.

"We will, sir." Mallory replied. "Goodnight!"

"Good night to you all." The proprietor replied.

After a dizzying climb up a long flight of stairs, the three approached the door of the first room. With Bogg's hands full supporting the exhausted Jeff, Mallory opened the door and motioned for the two to go inside. Bogg, whose will was now concentrated on reaching the bed inside before he collapsed, pushed the door open and entered the room. Concerned about Bogg's unsteadiness with Jeff in his arms, Mallory followed closely behind him. Trying not to wake his sleeping partner, Bogg tiptoed over to the bed and gradually lowered Jeff down upon it. He sat down beside him for a moment as he gently removed his sneakers and placed them on the floor. Upon standing, he pulled the covers up over his partner and tucked him in.

"Poor kid…" Mallory whispered as he stared at the frazzled young Voyager. "He deserves a good night's rest. A kid his age shouldn't have to experience what he did today."

"I agree." Bogg whispered as he continued to observe Jeff's every breath. "This was probably the worst thing that's ever happened to him as a Voyager. He's one tough kid though. A few hours sleep and I believe he'll be fine."

Mallory walked over to his preceptor and put a hand on his shoulder. "Phineas, you've got a really good kid there." He whispered. "You are a very lucky guy."

Bogg grinned sheepishly. "Sometimes I wonder… especially when he's being a real pain."

Mallory smiled a bit. "We were all his age once. Being a pain just goes along with the territory. You know, I'm surprised I made it this far, especially after some of the things I did when I was his age."

Bogg continued to show great concern for his partner. While he stood there, watching the rise and fall of the covers with Jeff's every breath; Mallory's words began to echo in his mind. For a brief moment, he slipped back in time to his childhood to relive one of his own 'mischievous moments'.

_It was late summer in Breezy Point. Young Phineas Bogg, who had just marked his 8th birthday was out in the back yard of his home, engaged in his usual pirate conquest on the open seas. His mother, Sonora, was in the kitchen watching her young son play as she prepared the evening meal. As she turned away from the window for a brief moment to stir a pot of stew, Young Phineas, dressed in his pirate hat and eye patch, quietly crept through the kitchen door. With his wooden cutlass held high in the air, he tiptoed over and stood behind his mom. _

"_Aye, me hardy!" He announced in his best pirate brogue._

_Sonora, realizing it was Phineas who now stood behind her, dropped her spoon and quickly turned to face her young son. She smiled a bit before she threw her hands into the air. _

"_Help! Help! There's a pirate in my kitchen!" She screamed playfully._

"_I'm Bogg the pirate!" Young Phineas boldly announced. "I'm here for the treasure. Now hand it over!"_

"_Please don't hurt me, you mean ol' pirate." She pleaded as she inched her way over to the pantry door. "Give me a minute and I'll pull out my treasure chest. It's safely hidden behind this door. You can have everything in it, every last piece of gold and silver I have."_

"_No tricks, or me and me mateys will have to rough you up." He threatened._

"_Oh please! I'm too old to be roughed up!" She pleaded as she slowly opened the door to the pantry and reached inside. _

"_Remember, no tricks!" Young Phineas warned as he again waived his wooden cutlass in the air._

_Unbeknownst to her young son, Sonora knew just how to handle intimidating pirates of a diminutive nature. Without warning, she pulled a rather large broom out of the closet and started playfully swatting her son with it. _

"_Take that! You mean ol' pirate!" Sonora yelled. "And that! And that!" _

_Young Phineas dropped his cutlass and tried to shield his body with his hands and arms._

"_Hmmmm…I'll teach you…threatening to rough up an old woman and steal her treasure!" Sonora yelled playfully as she continued to swat her son with the broom. "And in her own kitchen too!"_

"_Stop, ma! It's just me, Phineas!" He yelled as he removed his hat and eyepatch. "I was just playing…I'm not gonna hurt you!"_

_Sonora took another swat at her son, while trying to hold back her laughter. "I don't care… Pirate or not, you get outta my kitchen now… If you cause me to burn my stew, I'll be doing some roughing up of my own, you hear!"_

"_Yes ma'am." He replied. Knowing that he had met his match, Young Phineas grabbed his cutlass, licked his wounds and quickly ran out the door._

Once the memories had faded, Bogg returned to the present moment. He nodded his head and smiled as he realized just how ill-behaved he was at Jeff's age.

"Shawn, you've got a point…" Bogg acknowledged. "I guess I shouldn't be so hard on him. I too was a little pain when I was his age."

The two continued to observe Jeff as he slept peacefully.

"Shouldn't you be getting some rest as well?" Mallory whispered to his partner.

"I'll be ok, Shawn." Bogg said unconvincingly. "I'll just pull that chair over beside the bed and keep an eye on him for a while."

Mallory could still sense the concern in the tone of his preceptor's voice. Bogg was worried about his partner; so much in fact, he was brooding over him like a mother hen. Jeff, though not willing to admit it, had been terrified by their ordeal and Bogg would not rest until he knew for sure his partner was ok.

"Phineas, I've got an idea!" Mallory exclaimed. "Why don't we take turns keeping an eye on him? That way, you can get some rest yourself."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll be ok." Bogg replied warmly. "You go and get yourself some sleep. Besides, one of us has to have our wits about us to complete this mission."

"Are you sure, Phineas?" Shawn asked.

"I'm sure." Bogg replied.

Mallory walked over to the side of the bed and put his hand on Jeff's shoulder. "You get some sleep, guy." He whispered. "I can't complete this mission without you."

Bogg smiled warmly at Mallory and whispered. "Thank you."

"Us Voyagers have to stick together…through thick and thin." Mallory whispered as he turned to exit the room. Before he reached the door, he stopped for a moment and looked back at his preceptor.

"Good night Phineas."

"Good night to you too, Shawn."

Upon leaving the room, Mallory quietly closed the door behind him.

Hours passed. As he continued to keep vigil over his partner, Bogg jumped to his feet with each and every move his partner made to make sure he was ok. After several hours of this unrelenting exercise, his fatigue got the best of him and he fell fast asleep in his chair.

Not too long after, Bogg reached the point of deep sleep. His subconscious mind had taken control as he began to dream, vividly. In his minds' eye, he was whisked away from his current reality and suddenly found himself in the midst of a dark and seemingly empty space. All around him was an eerie green luminous mist whose icy fingers seemed to reach out and tug at his soul. Now, all alone in this most uninviting of places, he began to push his way through the mist, seeking out his partner as well as a means of escape.

After a time, with no sign of his partner or an obvious way out of his fix, Bogg stopped for a moment and sat down. Sitting there in the midst of the nothingness, engulfed body and soul by the green mist, a feeling of all-encompassing fear came over him. It was a feeling he had never felt before, a sort of primeval urge, almost uncontrollable. He began to feel trapped, like a lion in a pit with no way out. His heart raced as his fear had pumped his system full of adrenaline. He felt like at any moment, the slightest touch could cause him to jump out of his skin.

As the waves of the luminous mist twisted and contorted around his body, Bogg lowered his head as the eerie concoction had begun to sting his eyes. Reaching into the pocket of his jerkin, he pulled out a handkerchief and held it over his eyes for a time to get some relief. Later, upon removing the cloth, he was amazed as well as puzzled to discover the mist which had surrounded him was gone. Unexpectedly, he found himself once again in the time vortex with Mallory and Jeff.

_Bogg, Jeff and Mallory's trip through the time vortex was progressing as usual until suddenly the transport bubble they were travelling in began to shake violently. Outside, the ripples in time that normally passed them in rapid succession began to slow down and their light diminished in intensity. After a few moments, the transport bubble stopped and the three found themselves in the middle of the time vortex, with the vastness of space surrounding them. _

"_Booooogggg!" Jeff exclaimed. "Why have we stopped?"_

_Bogg, who was somewhat confused by the sudden change of scenery, stared out into space and did not respond. _

"_Bogg!" Jeff repeated. "Are you ok?"_

"_Uh…umm...wha…what?" Bogg replied._

"_Why have we stopped?" Jeff asked._

"_Kid. I don't know." Bogg replied. "Something must have happened with the omni. Shawn, what does your omni say?"_

_Mallory pulled out his omni and opened it. Much to his surprise, both lights were flashing in a rather unusual pattern. "Beep, beep, beep, ding, beep, beep, beep, ding." _

_Upon seeing this, Mallory had an epiphany. "Wait a minute! I remember this code from one of my classes. This sequence of lights means the omni has lost its location tracking ability."_

"_How do we fix it?" Jeff asked._

"_We don't." Bogg replied._

_Jeff's eyes grew wide. "What? What do you mean, Bogg?"_

_Bogg waived his arms and floated over beside his partner. He put his arm around Jeff and tried his best to calm his fears and explain the situation._

"_Kid, this is something we can't fix. It means the omni has lost communication with the control computer back at VHQ."_

"_Are you saying we're lost?" Jeff asked, now trembling with fear. _

"_No, kid, were not lost." Bogg reassured. "More like stuck."_

_Bogg, I'm scared…" Jeff said with his squeaky voice. " _

"_Hey, kiddo. There's nothing to be scared about." Bogg said with a smile. "We're all in this together. Shawn and I are not gonna let anything happen to you. Isn't that right Shawn?"_

"_Voy…ger Mallo…This…Miss…Con…ol", _

"_Shawn, that sounds like Mission Control." Bogg exclaimed. "Can you do anything to clear up that signal?"_

"_Sure, Phineas." Mallory replied. "Hold on."_

_Mallory fiddled with one of the buttons on his omni and after a few moments, they could hear Mission Specialist Connors quite clearly._

"_Voyager Mallory, this is Mission Control. Do you read?"_

_Bogg turned to his worried partner and exclaimed. "See kid, they know we're here. Lindsey will straighten this mess out."_

"_Mission Control, this is Mallory, Go ahead." Mallory replied._

"_Voyager Mallory, are you and your colleagues ok?" Connors asked._

"_Yes, we are all ok." Mallory reassured. "We just feel like a flies trapped in a jar of ointment."_

"_Well, don't worry." Connors replied. "We are working on the problem as we speak. We should have you out of that ointment shortly. Just be calm and hang in there."_

"_Can you tell us what happened?" Mallory asked._

_Connors began to explain their predicament. "It's a long story. And I don't have all the answers yet. Some faults developed in the Omni Control Computer. So far, we've determined the problem is located in several memory banks used primarily for omni location tracking. I've got IS & T and two of my best technicians working on it. It's too bad you aren't here right now, I could sure use your technical expertise."_

"_That's ok, Lindsey. If you need help you can contact me here." Mallory replied. "I can say I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."_

"_Will do, Mission Control out."_

_Several minutes had passed. Jeff was getting more and more scared with each passing moment. His partner had realized this and was again attempting to dispel his fears._

"_Everything's gonna be just fine kiddo." Bogg reassured his partner. "We'll be outta here shortly."_

_At that moment, Connors contacted Mallory._

"_Voyager Mallory, this is Mission Control. Do you read?"_

"_Go ahead Mission Control." Mallory replied._

"_Guys, I've got some good news and some bad news. Which would you like first?"_

"_The good news of course." Mallory again replied._

"_Well, we've figured out a way to get you out of the time vortex." Connors announced._

"_Lindsey, that's great." Mallory replied excitedly. "Ok, what's the bad news?"_

_There was a short pause as Connors got up the nerve to give them the awful news._

"_Shawn… Guys… I'm so sorry… I wish this was not so…" Connors said as she attempted to hold back her emotions._

"_What, Lindsey, what's wrong?" Mallory asked._

"_We can get you out of the vortex, but we're only able to free two of you. One of you will have to stay behind."_

"_What!" Mallory exclaimed. "What do you mean 'stay behind'?"_

_Connors explained further, while trying her best to keep from falling apart, emotionally. _

"_Shawn, we can only save two of you. One of you will be trapped forever in the vortex."_

"_This can't be! There must be another way… There must!" Mallory shouted._

"_I'm sorry, Shawn." Connors said as her voice began to tremble. "We've examined all the possibilities. Given the short amount of time we have to rescue you, we will only be able to save two of you."_

_Upon hearing this, Jeff reached over and clung to Bogg. "Bogg! I'm real--ly scared."_

"_Shhhh, Jeff! It's gonna be ok."_

"_Bogg, why can't you use your omni to get us out of here?" Jeff whispered._

_Bogg retrieved his omni from his belt, opened it and held it up for Jeff to see._

"_Good thinking kiddo. The only problem is my omni won't work inside the time vortex." Bogg explained. "The only omni that functions inside the time vortex is the one that initiated the transport sequence." _

"_Lindsey, we need to discuss this amongst ourselves. We'll get back to you shortly, ok?" Mallory said nervously._

"_Please guys, don't take too long. You only have a small amount of breathable air left."_

"_Mallory out."_

"_Well, guys, you heard what she said." Mallory said in a downtrodden tone. "I'm not ready for any of us to be left here forever. I don't like this…not one bit!_

"_We heard, all too clearly, Shawn." Bogg replied as he nodded his head. "And we're not too thrilled about the idea either." _

"_Which of us is to remain?" Mallory asked with a tear in his eye. He paused in thought for a moment and then spoke up. "I believe in light of the situation, it should be me."_

"_No Shawn! Absolutely not!" Bogg yelled. "You have your whole life ahead of you and besides you have a wife."_

"_And what about you? You have Jeffrey!" Mallory argued. "Who is gonna take care of him if you are not around?"_

"_You are!" Bogg yelled._

"_NO! BOGG! You can't leave me! I won't let you do it!" Jeff yelled as he hung on tightly to his partner._

Back at the Dodge House, Bogg began to move about in his chair and was mumbling in his sleep.

"No, Jeff I don't want to leave you!" Bogg said as he jerked his head to one side.

"_Jeff, please. Don't make this harder for me than it has to be." Bogg pleaded. "I don't want to leave you, but I don't want anything to happen to you either."_

"_But Bogg, why?" Jeff pleaded. "Why does it have to be you?"_

"_I thought I just explained that, kid." _

"_If you are staying behind, then so am I." Jeff said staunchly. "Were PB & J and there's no separating us!"_

"_Jeffrey, look at me." Bogg said as he lifted Jeff's chin. "You know you cannot stay behind. You are just getting started and you have your whole life ahead of you. Me, I've lived my life and it's been a good one."_

"_But Bogg, you can't give up now… You just can't!" Jeff exclaimed._

_Bogg looked at his son and partner with a tear streaming down his face. He swallowed hard as he attempted to hold back the flood of emotions coming from within._

"_I've enjoyed every moment of everyday I've spent with you. You have been the one thing that made it all worthwhile." Bogg said lovingly. "But now, fate has dealt us our cards. Like a game of schnibbitz, whatever hand is dealt us; we must either play or fold. This time, kiddo, I've got a bad hand and there's no way I can bluff my way out of it. So, it's time to fold._

Back in his room, Bogg's agitation was intensifying as his nightmare continued to unfold. "NO!...won't leave you Jeff…schnibbitz…bad hand…" He mumbled.

"_NO! BOGG!" Jeff yelled. "YOU CAN'T GO!"_

"_Jeff, you must go with Mallory. It's the only way." Bogg whispered softly. "Mallory and Rosalyn are good people. They will take good care of you and give you all the love, support and help you need as you transition into adulthood."_

Suddenly, Bogg sat up in his chair. Still asleep and trapped in his dream-state, he shouted out into the darkness. "Jeff, you must… No! NO!" Uncontrollably, he fell back against the chair, his head bowed and his chin resting on his chest.

"_NO… Bogg! No! I won't let you do it!" Jeff yelled as he began to wail._

"_Phineas, I can't let you do this." Mallory exclaimed. _

"_I'm the senior Voyager on this mission!" Bogg said staunchly. "I've made my decision! I'm staying!"_

_Mallory shook his head in disbelief and breathed a heavy sigh. "This can't be happening! I can't be-lieve this is happening!"_

_By this time, Jeff had buried his face in Bogg's chest and was holding him so tightly he could scarcely breathe. Bogg looked down at him and put his arms around him. _

"_I won't let you do it Bogg!" Jeff yelled. "I won't!"_

"_I have to do it, kiddo." Bogg said softly. "I have to do it for your sake."_

"_What will I do without you, Bogg?" Jeff wailed._

_Bogg looked at his partner and nodded his head as tears began to slowly run down his cheek. He glanced over at Mallory and whispered. "You better contact Mission Control and inform them I'll be hanging around for a while."_

_Mallory, unable to hold back his emotions, turned his back to his two partners and contacted Lindsey at Mission Control. While Mallory explained the situation to her, Bogg used what little time he had left to console and comfort his partner and prepare him for what was about to occur. _

_Bogg attempted to lift his partner's chin with his finger. "Look at me, kiddo. You are gonna be a great Voyager." He said as he forced a smile and sniffled a bit. "You're gonna go far and do great things in your life. I know this to be true, not only because Chancellor Garth said it would be, but also because I've already seen you in action. I'm so proud of you and what you have become. Always remember that, no matter what happens."_

"_I will Bogg." Jeff said sullenly._

"_And even though I won't be around in body to witness all those good things you will do…" Bogg said warmly as he pointed to Jeff's heart. "I will always be with you in spirit…in there."_

"_But I don't want you to go!" Jeff wailed._

"_I know...kid…I know. I don't want to go, but I don't want to see you hurt either. The thing that makes me so sad is that once again, someone you love and who loves you will be taken away from you." Bogg said sadly, before lowering his head, succumbing to his emotions. "It's just not fair…I wish there was something I could do to change this."_

_Jeff began to sob as he came to the realization there was nothing neither he nor his partner could do to change the outcome of their situation._

"_I know it hurts…But you have to be strong…for the both of us..." Bogg whispered as he wiped his tears on his sleeve. "Once I'm gone, you must go on with your life. To do otherwise, would make my sacrifice pointless."_

"_It'll be painful for a little while, but you'll eventually get over me." Bogg softly reassured his partner._

_Jeff raised his head and looked Bogg squarely in the eye. "Bogg, I will never, repeat NEVER get over you or forget you for that matter. NEVER!"_

"_I hope I never, ever forget you either, kiddo." Bogg replied, tears falling down his cheek and his voice breaking under the strain of the moment._

"_There's one other thing I want you to promise me Jeff." Bogg said._

"_What?" Jeff asked._

"_On your oath as a Voyager, I want you to promise me that when this is over, you won't try to come back in time and rescue me." Bogg said as he bowed his head._

"_But Bogg? Why???" Jeff argued._

"_No Jeff. You must let it be." Bogg said sternly. "This is meant to be and you must promise that you won't break the Voyager Code by coming back to rescue me. Is that understood?"_

_Jeff looked at his partner and reluctantly agreed. "I…I promise…I won't come back to rescue you."_

"_Jeff…I love you!" Bogg said warmly as he continued to hold him tightly in his arms for the remaining moments they had left._

_Several minutes passed. The sound of Connor's voice pierced the emptiness as she contacted Mallory once again. _

"_Mallory, this is Mission Control."_

"_Go ahead, Lindsey."_

"_We're ready, if you guys are." Connors said as she choked back tears. "Shawn, can Phineas hear me?"_

"_Yes, he can hear you loud and clear." Mallory replied. "Do you want to speak to him?"_

"_Yes, please." Connors said as she began to break down._

_Mallory handed his omni to Bogg. "Lindsey, it's Bogg." He said as he tried to keep his spirits up._

"_Phineas…oh my…what can I say?" Connors asked while choking back tears._

"_Well, Lindsey…there's much that can be said and many different ways to say it." Bogg reassured. "I guess the simplest and least hurtful is, 'Goodbye! I love you!' _

"_Phineas, you deserve much more than that. I will never forget the look on your face several days ago when you thought you were being disciplined and reviewed. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have never played that trick on you."_

"_Lindsey, it's ok, really." Bogg said warmly. "It was a good prank and no harm came from it. After it was all over, I thought to myself, 'I could have pulled something like that.'"_

"_You will always be number one in my book!" Connors said softly. "I will never forget you and I'll make sure everyone remembers the sacrifice you made on this day for your fellow comrades."_

"_Thank you Lindsey!" Bogg replied before handing the omni back to Mallory._

"_Lindsey, it's Shawn, are you ready?" Mallory asked._

"_Yes, Shawn, unfortunately we are." Connors replied. _

_Mallory turned to Bogg and whispered. "They're ready."_

_Bogg looked at his son and kissed him on the forehead. "Kid, it's time. You must be strong for the both of us, ok? Always remember, I love you and I'll always be with you."_

_Jeff kissed his dad and whispered to him one last time. "I love you too, Bogg!"_

_Bogg put his partner's hand in Mallory's and whispered to him, "Shawn, please take good care of him. You and Roz are all he has now."_

"_Roz and I will take good care of him, Phineas. You need not worry about that." Mallory whispered. "I will become his partner and teacher. While I can never replace you in his eyes, Phineas, I will always be there for him. He won't ever be alone."_

_Mallory reached over and put one arm around Jeff and the other around Bogg._

"_Phineas…. what can I say?" Mallory asked with tears in his eyes. "You've been the best friend anyone could have ever had. You're the greatest. I couldn't have had a better preceptor. I hate to say goodbye."_

"_Shawn, let's not say goodbye, let's just say, until next time." Bogg said as he smiled a bit and bowed his head._

By this time, Bogg had begun to shift about in the chair and was waiving his arms about in the air. "NO! I don't want to die! Jeffrey, don't leave me here." Bogg mumbled

"_C'mon Jeff…" Mallory said softly. "I guess it's time."_

_Shawn and Jeff floated over to one side of the transport bubble and then contacted Mission Control._

"_Mission Control… This is…Mallory…We're…ready." Mallory said with overwhelming emotion._

"_Acknowledged…" Connors replied._

_At that moment, the transport bubble they were in split into two parts and the part containing Mallory and Jeff started to float slowly off into the time vortex._

"_BOGG!!! NO! BOGG!!!!!" Jeff exclaimed. "THIS CAN'T BE SO! BOGG!!!!"_

"_JEFFREY!!!! OH MY! JEFFREY!!" Bogg yelled out to his partner as he began to panic at the sight of Jeff and Mallory's transport bubble floating away from him._

_As the two time bubbles continued to slowly drift away from each other in the time vortex, Jeff continued to watch and wail for his partner with his face and hands pressed against the side of their bubble._

_Suddenly, Bogg saw something in the distance which his mind could hardly believe. As he stood there, gazing at his partner, from across the vastness of space, he noticed his old foe Drake was now standing behind Jeff. The sight of Drake sent Bogg into a frenzy, as he knew his partner was in immediate danger. He began to climb the walls of the bubble he was in, trying his best to get to his partner._

"No Drake! You hurt Jeff and I'll hunt you to the ends of the universe!" Bogg yelled out as he continued to waive his fists in the air and turn his head from side to side.

_As Jeff stood there, his face pressed against the side of his bubble, he realized Bogg had become highly agitated. In the distance, Jeff could see him yelling furiously and waiving his clenched fists into the air._

"_Bogg… Bogg!", Jeff said softly with the little bit of remaining strength he now had. "What is it? What's wrong? I don't understand."_

_Without warning, a sinister, yet all too familiar laugh came from behind him. This unmistakable sound sent a chill down Jeff's spine. As he slowly turned around to look for his friend Mallory, he was shocked to discover the face of their biggest rival, Drake standing behind him._

"_Hehehehe!" Drake spewed confidently while wringing his hands. "I'm finally rid of the great Phineas Bogg…forever! Hehehehe!"_

_Where's Mallory?" Jeff barked. "What did you do to him?"_

"_Mallory?" Drake replied with a bit of panache. "Young Mallory is back on Planet Voyager."_

"_What? He was just with us?" Jeff yelled, while taking his aggression out on the evil fiend. "What did you do to him? Tell me, you brute!"_

_Drake, tired of Jeff's heroism and banter, took hold of the young Voyager and threw him against the far side of the bubble. He bounced off the wall and in the zero gravity environment went whizzing past him. _

"_Let me guess, you were him all along!" Jeff exclaimed. "This was all a set up. You planned this!"_

"_Such a simple, yet devious plan." Drake said with a cold and callous tone. "First, I disguise myself as young Mallory and gain your confidence. Then, sabotage the OCC and set it up so that we get trapped in the time vortex with only one means of escape, by leaving someone behind. And here's the best part. Get rid of the great Bogg by allowing him to sacrifice himself rather than see you or another Voyager die. It was just too easy and besides, your dear old dad played right into my plan."_

"_I can't believe you would leave Bogg to die!" Jeff yelled. "What did he do to deserve this? And how could you do it to him after he saved your life."_

"_I've been planning the ultimate demise of Voyager Bogg ever since he foiled my plans of taking over VHQ." Drake boasted with a fiendish voice. "And now I've gotten my revenge. Bogg's gone, once and for all, never again to interfere with my plans."_

"_Please Drake, please!" Jeff pleaded. "Save him! Do what you will with me, but don't let him die."_

_Drake stood there silent and undaunted as he turned a deaf ear to the pleas of the young Voyager. _

_Jeff, realizing his words were getting him nowhere, floated back over to the side of the bubble and pressed his hands and face against it as he continued to watch his partner get further and further away._

_Drake floated over beside the young Voyager and with his usual cruel and heartless manner, announced to the universe. "And now, Phineas Bogg…the time has come to put the finishing touches on your epitaph! Goodbye, Voyager Bogg! Hehehehe! Goodbye, forever!"_

"_Bogg! Don't leave me!" Jeff whispered. "Bogg!!"_

Back in their room at the Dodge House, Bogg's nightmare had reached its apex. He was now frantically yelling out Drake's name, and thrashing about in his chair. Awakened by all the yelling and noise, Jeff leaped from his bed and ran over to his partner.

"Bogg!! Bogg! Wake up!" Jeff said softly as he shook him. "It's just a dream! C'mon wake up."

"NO DRAKE! You can't have him, I won't let you." Bogg yelled angrily.

Bogg continued to thrash about in the chair as he battled the demons inside his mind. With Jeff standing in front of him attempting to try and wake, Bogg, without realizing it, swung a clenched fist into the air toward him. Luckily, Jeff noticed Bogg's arm coming at him out of the corner of his eye and darted over to the side of the chair, just in the nick of time. Now safe and out of the line of fire, he leaned over and whispered in his partner's ear while gently nudging him.

"C'mon Bogg… wake up. It's me Jeff! You're having a bad dream. C'mon, wake up, ok. "

At this point, Bogg ceased his yelling and thrashing as he began to awaken from his terrible nightmare. Gradually, he opened his eyes and looked up, noticing his partner who was currently standing beside him.

"JEFF!!" Bogg yelled as he shot up from the chair, threw his arms around his partner and lovingly caressed his head.

"Bogg, it's ok. You just had a nightmare." Jeff said as he wrapped his arms around him.

"Kid, it was awful…" Bogg said as he gasped for a breath. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me…ever." Jeff reassured. "I'm like a bad penny, always turning up somewhere."

Bogg looked at his son and then sat back down in his chair.

"It…it was….it was so real…" Bogg exclaimed as he attempted to shake off the dream's effects and wipe the tears from his eyes. "I was back in the time vortex…we were stuck… and only two of us could get out. You and Mallory had to leave me behind."

"Leave you behind?" Jeff asked, somewhat dumbfounded by the statement. "I don't think so!"

Bogg continued to explain the details of his nightmare to Jeff as he attempted to get a handle on his emotions.

"Mallory wasn't with us, it was Drake in disguise…and he had planned this all along." Bogg said as he pulled his partner over to him.

"Come here, kiddo." Bogg said as he rubbed his eyes. "I just want to hold on to you. I know it was just a bad dream, but it was so unnerving. The thought of losing you to Drake was more than I could handle."

Jeff looked at him for a moment and smiled a bit.

"Hey, did you really think you were going to get rid of me that easily?" Jeff teased. "I don't think so… Besides, I get a real kick out of nagging you and making your life miserable. You know, the 'smart kids give me a pain' thing."

Bogg hinted at a smile. "Kid, you are just too much."

At that moment, a knock came at the door of their room.

"Phineas? Jeff? It's Shawn. Are you two ok?" Mallory asked as he yawned. "I heard someone yelling. Can I come in?"

"Sure Shawn, the door's open, come on in." Jeff yelled.

Mallory opened the door and walked inside.

"Are you two ok?" Mallory asked with concern. "I heard someone yelling all the way down the hallway."

Mallory slowly made his way over to the chair where Bogg and Jeff were now sitting.

"Phineas, what's up?" Mallory asked. "You are holding onto Jeff like he's going to run away or something?"

Bogg suddenly released his bear hug on his partner as Jeff turned to explain the situation to Mallory.

"Shawn…Bogg, just had one heck of a nightmare." Jeff explained. "It was about Drake and from the sound of it, it was worse than any horror flick I've ever seen. You should have seen him. He was absolutely terrified when he finally woke up."

"I'm so sorry, Phineas." Mallory said as he leaned over and put his hand on his shoulder. "I've had a few of those in my lifetime. Scary isn't a strong enough word to describe what I went through. "

"Thanks Shawn." Bogg replied as he yawned a bit.

Jeff looked up at Mallory. "Shawn, can you help me get him to bed? He's been so worried about me, I think, now's the time to return the favor."

"Sure, Jeff."

"Kid, I'm not ready to go to bed, not just yet." Bogg said as he yawned once again.

"Yes, Phineas, Jeff's right." Mallory quipped. "You need to get some sleep, especially after what just happened to you. Now come on, let's get you over to the bed."

"C'mon, ol' timer. We need to get you to bed so you can get some sleep." Jeff whispered. "Tomorrow's a big day for us all."

Mallory and Jeff took hold of Bogg, eased him out of the chair and slowly escorted him over to the bed. Bogg sat down, pulled off his boots and put his feet under the covers as Jeff reached over and tucked him in.

"Looks like everything's control, so I'm going back down the hall and get some sleep." Mallory said. "If you need me just bang on the wall or something, ok? Good night to you all."

"Thanks Shawn. Good night!" Bogg replied.

Once Jeff knew his partner was safely tucked in, he ran around to the opposite side of the bed and climbed in. He pulled the covers up to his chin and closed his eyes.

"Jeff?" Bogg whispered.

"Yea, Bogg."

"I love you, kid. Don't ever forget that." Bogg said lovingly.

Jeff sat up in bed and looked over at this dad, who was lying there staring at the ceiling.

"I love you too, big guy."


	10. Breakfast With A Legend

_**VOYAGERS! **_**- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 9 - BREAKFAST WITH A LEGEND**

Morning had finally come. The streets of Dodge City were for the most part, quiet and unoccupied as most of the townsfolk were still warm and snug in their beds. After indulging in a long night of drunkenness, carousing and card playing, the local cowpokes had finally returned to their campsites outside the city limits in preparation for the day's cattle drive. Outside the Long Branch saloon, the town drunk was clinging to a hitching post, bottle in hand, mumbling to some imaginary figure in front of him. In the distance a few irritated roosters whose feathers had been ruffled by the onset of daylight, began to crow in defiance of their interrupted sleep.

After a rather long and arduous night, Bogg and Jeff had risen early to get a jumpstart on their day. Once dressed their old west attire, they made their way downstairs to the rustic dining room of the Dodge House to wait for Mallory and get some breakfast. As they entered the room, the two paused for a moment upon noticing Mallory sitting at a corner table reading the local newspaper.

"Take a look over there, kiddo." Bogg whispered as he pointed to Mallory's table. "Looks like ol' Shawn beat us to the punch."

"What's he doing here? I figured he'd still be in bed after the day we had yesterday." Jeff replied. "If he keeps this up, he's gonna make us both look like slackers."

"Slackers, huh?" Bogg teased. "I don't know about you, but I'm no slacker, that's for sure. By the way, what's a slacker, kiddo?"

Jeff rolled his eyes and grimaced. "Never mind slacker, never mind."

Bogg stood with a puzzled look on his face for a moment, before his partner's cutting remark finally sunk in.

"Hmmmmm. Slacker, huh? I'll remember that one the next time you need someone to extract you from a man-eating bush plant."

Jeff turned to his partner. "C'mon Bogg, I was just joking."

Bogg winked at his partner as he softly elbowed him in the side. "Hey! You up for a bit of fun?" He asked.

"Yea, Bogg!" He whispered. "Whatcha got in mind?"

"You just follow my lead, ok? Quick! We need to get to Shawn before he puts down that newspaper."

Without saying another word, the two made their way over to Mallory's table and stood behind him as they put their plan into action.

"Are dese here seats tak'n?" Bogg asked with a sort of old west country drawl.

Mallory didn't flinch. He continued to concentrate on the news of the day, undaunted by Bogg's prodding.

"Yes." Mallory replied from behind his paper. "I'm waiting on my two partners to arrive for breakfast."

"You talkin' 'bout dat daire tall feller wid-da strange attire and dat curly-headed young'un a his?" Bogg asked as he attempted to hold back a laugh.

"Yes. What about them?" Mallory replied from behind his newspaper, still fully engrossed in the news of the day.

"Well, I seen dem two out front a while back."

Bogg poked his partner to signal him to join in the fun. At this point, Jeff cleared his throat and tried his best to disguise his squeaky voice.

"Paw?"

"Yea, boy?" Bogg replied.

"Didcha see what happen'd after dat tall feller pulled out dat dair pocket watch a his'n?" Jeff asked.

"Yea, I seen it." Bogg continued as he choked back his laughter. "Dem two jus' up and vanish'd. Right inta thin air."

"They did WHAT?" Mallory yelled as he threw his newspaper down on the table and sprung up from his chair like a rabbit.

"They can't leave me here alone!" He quipped.

Mallory quickly reached for his backpack and before he knew it, Bogg had reached over and pushed him back down in his seat.

"Whoa there! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Bogg asked as he and Jeff began to laugh.

"What? You guys!" Mallory exclaimed as he gasped. "Whew! Why did you two have to scare me like that?"

Bogg nodded his head and smiled a bit as he and Jeff pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

"Well, I reckon' you were just ripe for the pickin'." Bogg teased.

"I should have known you two were going to try something this morning. I have to say that was a really good one you pulled on me. Those western accents of yours were excellent. If I hadn't turned around, I would have never known it was the two of you standing behind me."

"Thanks Shawn." Bogg said with a smile. "No hard feelings, I hope."

"Of course, no hard feelings!" Mallory replied. "You're my best friends. But, just remember…paybacks are a bear!"

By this time, Jeff was sporting a concerned look. He turned and whispered softly to his partner. "I may be wrong, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"A bad feeling?" Bogg whispered.

"Yea, I think we've opened up a can of worms with this one"

"You think? I believe he's just yanking our chains." Bogg said with some skepticism.

Unconvinced by his partner's arguments, Jeff continued to voice his concern. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. The quiet ones are always the ones you have to worry about."

Mallory picked up his newspaper and continued to read. After overhearing his colleague's conversation, he began to sense their immediate concern. Not wanting to ignore an opportunity like had been presented to him; he decided to compound their uneasiness by turning up the heat a bit.

"Guys, is there a problem?" Mallory asked from behind his paper. "You seem a bit…hmmm…distracted."

"No, no! Shawn. We're ok." Bogg replied nervously. "Jeff just had to remind me about something important we need to attend to later."

"Oh, ok." Mallory said as he took a sip of coffee. "For a minute there, I thought it might have been something I said."

The two Voyagers looked at each other, surprised and somewhat puzzled by Mallory's statements.

"I take it you two were finally able to get some sleep last night." Mallory said candidly.

Before Bogg could respond to the question, Jeff had already beaten him to the punch.

"Yea, after we put Bogg to bed, the rest of the night was pretty much uneventful. Fortunately for me, he slept like a rock."

"In light of what happened yesterday, I'd say he deserved a good night's rest." Mallory replied.

"You said it." Bogg affirmed. "After being stuck in the vortex and then having that horrible nightmare last night, I was ready for it."

Jeff nudged Mallory in the side. "You know, as long as I've been with Bogg, I've never seen him as scared as he was last night."

"Kid, I WAS scared." Bogg admitted without reservation. "Even though it was just a dream, the mere thought of Drake getting his hands on you was more than I could handle. Nobody, I mean NOBODY will ever do anything to harm you, especially Drake. I just hope I never have another nightmare like that again."

While Bogg continued to speak about his terrible ordeal, unbeknownst to them, a beautiful young barmaid emerged from the kitchen. She stolled over and stood quietly behind him for a moment.

"Can I get you gents something?" She asked.

"Ayyyyyyeeee" Bogg yelled as he jumped with surprise.

"I'm so sorry, sir." She said with remorse. "I didn't mean to startle you."

The warm and sensuous tone of the barmaid's voice was more than older Voyager could bring himself to ignore. Without hesitation, he turned to face her and upon making eye contact, his chin dropped to his chest.

"Uh…umm… It's ok" Bogg reassured warmly. "Really!"

"Can I get you gents something?" She repeated.

"Uh…uh…uh…yea…uh…ok…" Bogg uttered. The overwhelming beauty of this woman that was standing next to him had all but overloaded his brain. He had seen beautiful women in his travels before, but this one was second to none. Tall and well endowed, with a pearly white complexion and beautiful brown locks, she was the epitome of beauty. As she stood there silently awaiting his reply, without realizing it, Bogg made the ultimate in Freudian slips.

"Yes…you…uh…on the menu?" Bogg asked as he stumbled on his words.

The barmaid smiled and blushed a bit before responding. "I'm sorry. You are quite a handsome man, but unfortunately, I'm not on the menu today."

Embarrassed by his little faux pas, Bogg grinned sheepishly as he attempted to backpedal out of this situation. "Oh…umm…excuse me…I mean…What's on the menu?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. Now feeling the need to accentuate his partners' slip-up, he leaned over and whispered to him.

"Way to go there, Casanova." Jeff said with an air of cockiness. After slapping his partner on the shoulder, he continued to observe him making a virtual fool of himself.

"Well, hon. We have the usual, that's eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy and coffee. Or if that doesn't tickle your fancy, you can always try the special."

"The special?" Bogg asked curiously. "What's that?"

"Fried rattlesnake with gravy and a side of grits."

"Eeeuuuu!" Jeff exclaimed as he cringed at the thought. "Fried rattlesnake?"

Mallory leaned over and teased his fellow Voyager. "And don't forget the gravy and a side of grits."

"I think I'll have to pass on that one." Jeff whispered

"Me too, guy." Mallory acknowledged.

"Ma'am, I think the kid and I will have a plate each of the usual." Bogg said as he rubbed his churning stomach. "I'll have some coffee. Bring the kid here a glass of milk."

"Ok, two usuals, a coffee and some cow juice." She confirmed. "Anything else?"

Bogg smiled in a dream-like state as he gazed up into her beautiful brown eyes and whispered. "You're number would be nice."

"My number?" She asked, unable to comprehend his meaning. "What number are you talking about?"

Quickly, Jeff chimed in as he attempted to save his partner from his inevitable fate.

"Hey, what about Shawn?" Jeff asked. "Maybe he'd like something as well."

Mallory looked up from his paper and smiled. "Oh, I'm ok. I've already had my plate of hot, smothered rattlesnake." He teased. "As they say here in Dodge City…Yum Yum!"

The barmaid laughed a bit as she bantered with Mallory. "Don't you gent's believe a word of it. He didn't have the special. He was as put off by it as you two are."

Mallory looked over at the beautiful woman and played along. "Shhh! You're making me look bad." He whispered.

Jeff tried his best to suppress his laughter as he looked up at the barmaid. "Thank you ma'am, I think that'll be all."

"I'll be back with your food shortly." She then slowly turned and walked away.

"Jeffrey! Why'd you have to go and do that for?" Bogg ranted. "She was gorgeous. I wanted a chance to get to know her better. But now you've ruined it for me."

A shocked expression quickly came over Jeff's face. "What! I've ruined it!" He exclaimed. "I don't think so. If anybody ruined it, it was you! You just had to open your mouth and stick that big boot of yours in it."

"What?" Bogg asked innocently. "What did I say?"

"Phineas, are you always like that around women?" Mallory asked while trying to keep a straight face.

"Like what?" Bogg asked with an air of impatience.

"You know, melting into a big blob of goo at the mere sight of a lovely lady like that one." Mallory chided.

"What are you talking about Shawn? I didn't melt into a big blob of goo."

Mallory knew he had struck a nerve with his 'goo' comment, so he continued to poke fun at his friend.

"Oh, yes, Phineas. You were so overtaken by her beauty, you couldn't even speak. There was nothing but gibberish coming from your lips. You know, when I heard you ask her if she was on the menu, I was so stunned, I almost fell out of my chair."

Jeff put his hand over his lips as he began to snigger.

Bogg lowered his brow and gave his partner a stern look. "And what are YOU laughing at?" He quipped.

"You…", Jeff replied, his tone a touch higher than his usual squeaking. He looked over at Mallory and then burst into laughter. "And to answer your question...Yes…he is always like that around a beautiful woman!"

"I am not." Bogg argued.

"Admit it Bogg! You are and you know it!" Jeff said pointedly.

As always, Bogg knew exactly how to pull at his partner's heartstrings and this situation was no exception. Once again, another academy award winning performance was now underway. In response to Jeff's ribbing, Bogg playfully pouted and lowered his head.

"Why do you always have to make fun of me?" Bogg said dejectedly. "All I wanted to do was kiss her. What's the harm in that? You never want me to have any fun."

By this time, Jeff's smile had been completely wiped off his face as Bogg's performance had been a smashing success. Feeling extremely guilty about teasing the guy who had been there for him through thick and thin, Jeff stood up and put his arm around him.

"I'm sorry, Bogg. I was only kidding. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Without warning, Bogg cocked his head to one side and donned a mischievous grin as he glanced up at him. Quickly, he grabbed his partner and began to tickle him unmercifully.

"You may be sorry, but I'm not…" Bogg exclaimed.

"Quit, Bogg!" Jeff shouted. "Quit it…please… I give up…Please, Bogg!"

While the two continued with their playful aggravation of each other, Mallory sat silently in his chair, intrigued by it all. After a few moments, the two stopped and Bogg set Jeff down on his knee.

"Guys, for a moment there, I thought I was going to need a handkerchief myself." Mallory said as he wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye. "They broke the mold when they made you two. You were destined to be together. I hope, someday I'll have a son like Jeff as my partner."

Bogg craned his neck as he winked at his son. After tickling Jeff in the ribs a couple of times, he smiled and gave Mallory some words of encouragement.

"Yes, there's nothing like being a dad." Bogg whispered after covering Jeff's ears. "He may be a royal pain sometimes, but he's the greatest. I wouldn't give him up for the world."

Jeff pulled his partner's hands away from his ears.

"Bogg, what did you say to him?" Jeff teased. "I know you told him something bad about me. Now c'mon, 'fess up… What did you say?"

Bogg started to respond, but Mallory suddenly interrupted him.

"Jeff, your dad was just telling me how lucky he was to have you." Mallory said warmly.

Bogg nodded and grinned as Jeff turned and looked at him.

"Why did you have to cover my ears, just to tell him that?" Jeff asked.

"I didn't want to give you a swelled head, kiddo." Bogg replied as he raised his brow a couple of times and smiled.

"Bogg!!!!" Jeff exclaimed.

Bogg turned his attention back to Mallory. "Shawn, you too will have a partner like this one someday. I guarantee that."

"I hope you're right, Phineas." Mallory replied softly.

"I know I'm right, Shawn." Bogg reassured. "And when you do, you'll be chanting one of Phineas Bogg's famous quotes, over and over again."

"What's that?"

Bogg chuckled a bit, before giving his response.

Jeff quickly chimed in. "Wait a minute…I know this one!"

"You should, kiddo. You've heard it way too often." Bogg teased.

"Yea. Right!"

"Ok, you two…spill it!" Mallory demanded.

Bogg raised his eyes to the ceiling, held his left hand high in the air and put his clenched fist over his heart. His pose was strikingly similar to that of Romeo as he knelt below Juliet's window. He then paused for a moment to get the desired effect.

Mallory was growing impatient with his friend's theatrics.

"C'mon Phineas…Quit clowning around and tell me."

With the flare and panache of a thespian from the Shakespearean era, he began to recite his lines in his powerfully deep voice.

"Smart kids…give me…such…a…pain!"

"I knew it!" Jeff exclaimed as he stood up and sat back down in his chair. "I knew he was gonna say that."

"I was beginning to wonder." Mallory teased.

"What do you mean?" Bogg asked.

"Well, based on your performance, I was expecting something more like "What light beyond yonder window breaks? It is the East and Juliet is the sun." Mallory recited with some flair. "Maybe you should try that on the barmaid the next time she comes around? You might just succeed with that one."

Bogg shook his head and grimaced a bit. "Funny, Shawn, very funny." He said. "You're definitely no Shakespeare."

Mallory laughed. "And from what we've seen so far, you're no Romeo either." He quipped before taking a sip of coffee.

Bogg glanced at Mallory. "First, the kid, now you!" He whined. "I can't believe the two of you are ganging up on me like this. What did I do to deserve this torture?"

A mischievous look came over Mallory's face. "Undoubtedly you've forgotten what I said to you earlier. Remember, I said paybacks were a bear?"

"I didn't think you'd be paying me back this quick though." Bogg replied.

For a moment, there was silence. Suddenly, the three looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

"What just happened here?" Mallory asked, while trying to regain his composure.

"I don't know, but it was hilarious." Jeff replied.

"Yea, right…hilarious." Bogg said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Guys, I hate to change the subject, but, I was thumbing through my guidebook this morning, trying to figure out what could have happened to Earp. The only thing I can come up with is that somehow his meeting with Clay Allison didn't go so well."

"Have you figured out what actually happened here?" Bogg asked.

"According to the guidebook, some of Allison's men rode into town shortly after his arrival. The purpose for them being here was to guarantee his safe departure when it was time for him to leave town. It also says they were all armed and had stationed themselves on the roofs of the buildings and inside Wright's general store."

"Sounds to me like an ambush." Jeff stated.

"That's what I thought, too, Jeff." Mallory acknowledged.

Mallory continued. "Later today, one of Earp's men will observe an inebriated Allison sitting inside Webster's Saloon making threats to kill Earp. He will report his observations back to Earp, who in turn will seek him out. In doing so, he'll enlist the help of Bat Masterson to cover his back."

"Do you think they'll have a confrontation inside the saloon?" Bogg asked.

Mallory reached over and pulled his guidebook from his backpack. He turned to a marked page in the book and pointed to one of the entries.

"No, according to the guidebook here, Earp meets up with Allison twice. Once on the sidewalk outside the Long Branch saloon and then again in the street before Allison rode out of town on his horse. There's nothing mentioned about a shootout in either of those meetings."

A look of mysticism came over Mallory at this point. "One thing, though. After the first meeting, Earp apparently started walking toward the general store. That's when Masterson, who was stationed near the drugstore at the time, gave him a signal to warn him that Allison's men were inside."

Jeff chimed in. "You know, what if he didn't get the signal. Suppose one of Allison's men took him out?"

"That could be it." Mallory agreed. "They could have got to Masterson before he was able to warn him."

"Well, regardless of what happened we've got to put a stop to it." Bogg said forcefully.

"I'd say and pronto." Jeff agreed.

Mallory leaned toward his two colleagues and started to whisper. "Oh, by the way, take a look at the man sitting at the table across the room."

Bogg slowly slid around in his seat and peered discreetly at the man.

"Which one are you speaking of?" Bogg asked as he craned his neck a bit.

"See the one in the black coat." Mallory whispered.

"Yea, I see him." Bogg acknowledged. "What about him?"

"That's Bat Masterson, himself."

Amazed by the fact that was just presented to him, Bogg lost control of his voice.

"That's Bat Masterson?"

"SHHHH! Not so loud…" Mallory whispered. "He'll hear you."

"How did you find that out?"

Mallory smiled like the proverbial cat that just caught the mouse. "Funny you should ask that question. It's like this…I was sitting here earlier, reading my newspaper when this tall, intimidating man came through the door and walked past my table. He made his way over to the far side of the room and quietly took a seat. Not too long after that, the barmaid walked over and called him by name."

"Wow, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed. "Bat Masterson, the legend, here, in the same room with us!"

"Don't let it go to your head kiddo." Bogg teased. He may very well be a legend. But before you invite the guy over for tea and crumpets, you need to remember what happened the last time you became infatuated with a legend."

"Yeah, I remember. Billy the Kid." Jeff said sullenly. "But that was different."

At that moment, the barmaid brought out Bogg and Jeff's plates and placed them on the table in front of them.

"Thank you ma'am." Bogg said with a twinkle in his eye.

"You're welcome." She replied. "I'll be back in a moment with your milk and coffee."

Before she was out of earshot, the two hungry Voyagers began to devour the delicious breakfast set before them. Mallory watched the two in amazement, since he had never seen such ravenous appetites before. It was reminiscent of a pack of vultures, pecking at some fresh road kill.

A look of sheer disbelief came over Mallory's face as he continued to observe the two. "Hungry, guys?" He taunted and then chuckled a bit.

The two did not respond and kept on eating. No amount of teasing by their friend would interrupt this grand feast. Realizing his words were having no effect on them; Mallory picked up his newspaper again and continued his reading.

After a time, a young cowboy wearing chaps and a hat, came through the door and made his way over to Masterson's table.

"Excuse me." The cowboy said politely. "Mr. Masterson?"

"Yes, I'm Masterson. What can I do for you?"

"Wyatt Earp sent me to fetch you. Clay Allison is in town."

"So…What's so special about that?" Masterson asked sarcastically.

"Sir, he's drunk and he's been making threats to shoot Earp if he sees him." The cowboy stated with fervor. "Mr. Earp heard all about it and he's on his way now to confront him."

"Damn! Can't I at least get a bite'a grubb before we have a shootout in this town?" Masterson quipped as he threw down his fork and got up from the table. "Where'd he say he was headed?"

"Sir, he was headed to Webster's saloon. That's where Allison was last seen."

"Boy, you got a gun on ya?" Masterson asked as he reached over and grabbed his hat.

"Yes sir." The cowboy replied.

"I assume ya' know how to use it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well, com'on then." He urged. "Allison's probably not here alone. I'd say Earp's gonna need some help."

The cowboy turned and followed Masterson as he made his way through the door.

"Did you guys hear that?" Mallory asked.

"Yea, I heard." Bogg replied. "Looks like there's going to be some action in this town after all."

"Wow!" Jeff exclaimed. "Some wild west action! I can't wait to see this."

Mallory leaned over, picked his backpack up off the floor and slung it over his shoulder as he rose from the table.

"I'd say that's our cue." Mallory said as he turned and walked toward the door. "Strap on your eight-shooters, boys…it's time to go. We've got an Earp to save."

Bogg turned to his partner and with a puzzled expression, asked, "Eight-shooters?"

Jeff grinned. "I believe he meant six-shooters."

Bogg nodded his head. "Ok, right. C'mon, kid we better get a move-on. Besides, this maybe Shawn's first mission, but, we can't let him have all the fun."

The two rose from their seats and took off running out the door as they attempted to catch up with their partner.


	11. Where's Matt Dillon When You Need Him?

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 10 - WHERE'S MATT DILLON WHEN YOU NEED HIM?**

By this time, Mallory had made it to the front porch of the Dodge House and was leaning against a post, patiently awaiting the arrival of his partners. Without warning, the two Voyagers burst through the doors and almost stumbled over each other as they came to a screeching halt.

"What took you two so long?" Mallory asked with a hint of cynicism.

Bogg smiled as he steadied himself. "Sorry, Shawn. The kid and I had a bit of a problem strapping on those 'eight-shooters'."

"Never mind the guns. Look!" Mallory exclaimed as he pointed down the street.

The three Voyagers curiously looked off into the distance. They noticed Earp was only a few doors away from entering Webster's Saloon, while Masterson and the cowboy were running down the street attempting to catch up with him. Without warning, Masterson stopped in the middle of the street, put two fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle that would curl one's hair. Earp stopped and turned back to find the two coming toward him.

"There! Look, it's Masterson!" Jeff exclaimed. "And there's Earp."

"I wonder what they're talking about?" Bogg asked.

"Maybe they're hashing out a plan of attack." Mallory whispered.

Once the conversation had ended, Earp walked away and proceeded into the saloon as the cowboy went inside another establishment nearby. Masterson in turn proceeded at a fast pace down the street toward the local drugstore. As he passed the door to Wright's store, he observed some of Allison's men through the corner of his eye. They were patiently waiting inside with their Winchesters at the ready. Trying not to raise their suspicions, he tipped his hat as he walked slowly past the door and then ducked down the alley.

"Where are they going?" Jeff asked. "Are they just going to let Earp handle this one on his own?"

Mallory turned to his colleague. "Everything's ok, Jeff. According to the guidebook, Masterson's gone to the DA's office to get his gun. The cowboy is not mentioned in the official history, so I guess he's not important."

After a time, Masterson emerged with a shotgun in his hand. As he stepped onto the walkway in front of the drugstore, he was met by some of the local townsfolk. Not wanting to bring any undue attention to himself, he stopped for a moment to chat with them.

"He doesn't seem to be too concerned about Earp." Bogg said. "He's just standing there talking to those people."

"That's where he's supposed to be according to the guidebook." Mallory stated. "Remember, he has to warn Earp about the men in Wright's store."

"Oh, yea…right!" Bogg acknowledged. "I got an idea! Why don't the two of you go down to Webster's and see what's going on. I'll keep an eye on Masterson, just in case some of Allison's men have other ideas."

"Right!" Jeff acknowledged.

Before Jeff could walk away, Bogg grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back in front of him.

"Oh and one more thing, kiddo." Bogg said with a note of sarcasm in his voice. "Try not to get your tuba shot off, ok?"

"Don't worry, Bogg!" Jeff said bravely. "I won't. You just keep an eye on the legend."

"C'mon Jeff, let's see what Earp's doing." Mallory said as he and Jeff ran down the street.

Before they could reach the saloon, Earp burst through the doors and stomped out onto the sidewalk. With a scowl on his face, he walked briskly away from them.

"Look, Jeff!" Mallory whispered. "There's Earp… He's headed down the street again."

"Yea. I guess Allison wasn't in there." Jeff replied.

"C'mon, we need to follow him." Mallory urged.

By this time, Bogg had established an observation post between the Long Branch saloon and Wright's store to keep an eye on Masterson. As he peered out from behind an exterior wall, he noticed the legend was leaning against the corner of the drugstore. He had his gun propped against his shoulder and his eyes fixed on the area around him.

Earp continued his journey down the street toward the Long Branch. In a matter of moments, he had stepped upon the walkway and started toward the entrance. Without warning, Allison came barging through the doors and stood in front of him. Stunned by their face to face meeting, the two stood frozen in their tracks, silently glaring at each other in anticipation of the other's move.

In the distance, Mallory and Jeff witnessed the beginnings of their confrontation as it unfolded in front of them.

"Look!" Mallory whispered. "Earp's found him. This is so not good! We better take cover quick before the bullets start flying!"

In preparation for what they thought would be an all out gunfight, Mallory and Jeff quickly ran for cover behind a nearby watering trough.

"I thought you said nothing happened when they first met?" Jeff whispered.

"That's what it says in the guidebook." Mallory affirmed. "But you know something's not right here, so this innocent meeting of theirs could turn into an all-out shooting rampage."

"Where's Matt Dillon when you need him?" Jeff whispered to himself. "Allison would have been history if he'd been here."

"What?" Mallory asked curiously. "Who's Matt Dillon?"

Jeff nodded as he realized Mallory had no clue who he was speaking of. "Never mind, I'll explain later." He said with a smile.

Without taking his eyes off Earp, Allison began to slowly maneuver himself into a more advantageous position. Before Earp could realize it, Allison had pinned him against the wall.

"So…" Allison said defiantly. "You're the one that killed my friend Hoyt."

Earp, with his eyes still affixed on his man, eased his hand slowly around his gun as he made his reply.

"I guess I'm the one you're looking for." Earp said in a forceful manner.

Upon seeing a small amount of movement in Earp's arm, Allison took his eyes off him momentarily as he glanced down at his gun belt. What he saw next, sent a chill down his spine. Even though Earp was pinned against the wall, he had managed to move his right hand in position to draw his gun. His left hand was free and ready to grab Allison's gun if he attempted to use it. Allison, realizing he was in no position to continue this confrontation, suddenly changed his demeanor and backed down from his bold stance.

"Uhh…I guess…I'll…go around the corner. " Allison said as he slowly raised his hands and backed away cautiously.

"I guess you'd better." Earp insisted.

Upon reaching the edge of the walkway, Allison turned the corner and proceeded down the street.

While Bogg was watching the Earp and Allison confrontation on the sidewalk, one of Allison's men had slipped up behind Masterson and subdued him. As he was being dragged off down the alley, Bogg heard the noise and turned to find the legend had vanished.

"Bats-Breath! They've got him!" Bogg whispered to himself. He paused for a moment as he looked up the street and noticed Earp, who was now headed straight for him. The entrance to Wright's store was only a few feet away and unbeknownst to him, there was a big surprise laying in wait for him there.

"Now what?" Bogg exclaimed. He tried his best to get Earp's attention to divert him away from the area. However, his efforts were in vain. Earp was walking down the street with his head down, his thoughts focused on Allison and his threats. As he made his way ever closer to Wright's store, Bogg now faced the ultimate in dilemmas.

"Can this get any more complicated?" Bogg whispered to himself. Suddenly, he noticed Jeff and Mallory coming up behind Earp.

Bogg began to signal to his two colleagues to divert Earp away from the area.

"It's Bogg!" Mallory exclaimed. "He's trying to tell us something."

Jeff observed his partner as he attempted to communicate with him. Bogg's gestures were somewhat confusing, but after a few moments Jeff got the message loud and clear. Once Bogg knew his partner had understood, he ran off down the alley in pursuit of Masterson's captors.

"Shawn…Allison's men got to Masterson!" Jeff exclaimed. "We've got to stop Earp before he reaches Wright's store!"

"Mr. Earp!" Mallory yelled. "Mr. Earp!"

Earp turned and walked toward Mallory.

"Yes, I'm Earp." He replied. "What seems to be the problem?"

"My partner and I saw you having some words with Clay Allison."

"Yea, we had a few words, alright." Earp replied. "What about it."

"Well, sir. I found out from a reliable source, that some of his men are held up inside Wright's store. They're armed and waiting for you."

"Are you sure?" Earp asked.

"Yes sir. I'm sure." Mallory acknowledged.

"I wonder where Bat is." Earp said. "He's supposed to be covering my back."

"Sir, one of Allison's men got to him." Mallory explained. "A friend of ours went to try and help him."

"Well, my thanks to you and your friend." Earp said. "You've saved me from an otherwise awkward situation."

"It was our pleasure, sir." Jeff replied.

Earp turned and walked up the street, avoiding the planned ambush.

While Mallory and Jeff stood in awe after their meeting with Wyatt Earp, their partner was engaged in a small problem of his own. As two of Allison's gunslingers dragged the semi-conscious Masterson down the alley, Bogg ran toward them and stopped.

"Uh…gentlemen!" Bogg said with a sheepish grin. "Two against one? That seems a little unfair, don't ya think?"

The two men stopped, dropped Masterson to the ground, turned and walked toward the Voyager.

"Yea, it's unfair. But that's the way we like it." The first gunslinger quipped.

"How 'bout we even the odds." Bogg asked as he taunted the two.

The first gunslinger looked at his partner and laughed. "Did ya hear that, Jess. The dandy here wants a piece of the action."

Jess cast an evil eye over Bogg and nodded. "Oh…Is that right, Will?"

"That's right and you two better watch out." Bogg threatened as he held up his fists and polished them on his vest. "These are registered as deadly weapons in many countries."

"Oh really?" Will said with a hint of sarcasm. He turned to his partner and shouted. "Let's git him!"

The two suddenly rushed the unsuspecting Voyager. Holding up both his arms, he caught the two in a chokehold and quickly threw them to the ground. While Jess shook off the effects of Bogg's unsuspecting countermove, Will, quickly got to his feet and landed a punch to Bogg's jaw. Bogg nodded his head as he rubbed the area momentarily.

"That's one for you." Bogg muttered to himself.

"Hey you weasel!" Jess shouted.

Bogg turned to face Jess. Unbeknownst to him, Jess was setting him up for Will's next move.

"Who are you calling a weasel?" Bogg asked.

Quickly, Will reached around from behind and grabbed Bogg in a rear choke-hold as he punched him in the kidneys. Now in excruciating pain, Bogg took hold of Will's head and pulled him over his shoulders and slammed him to the ground. With Will now semi-unconscious, his partner Jess took over the battle and landed a head-butt to Bogg's stomach. Bogg doubled over in pain and as Jess attempted to strike him again, he quickly rose up and threw a solid punch to Jess' breadbasket as well. With his opponent in a compromising position, Bogg interlocked his fists and landed a chop to his back, knocking him to the ground.

"And that's two for me." Bogg muttered.

As the Voyager stood there attempting to shake off the effects of his punishment, Jess once again managed to get to his feet, charged at him like a linebacker and tackled him to the ground.

With his enemy now seemingly subdued, Jess began throwing punches to Bogg's head. After he had connected twice, Bogg began to feel a surge of energy brought on by his anger. In a gallant move, he flipped himself over onto his hands and knees, throwing Jess off him once again onto the ground. For a time, Jess sat there breathing heavily as he wiped a stream of blood oozing from his mouth on his sleeve. Not willing to be defeated by a so-called 'dandy', Jess stood up and attempted to engage the unrelenting Voyager again. As he came toward him, Bogg glanced around and noticed a lone barrel stave lying on the ground. Quickly, he picked it up and thrust it backwards into Jess' stomach, cracking his ribs. With his opponent bent over in pain, Bogg got to his feet and swung the piece of wood against the back of the man's neck and he fell unconscious on the ground.

Will, who by this time had fully recovered from his unexpected contact with the hardened ground, sprung into action and ran toward the unsuspecting Bogg. Hearing the sounds of Will's footsteps coming up behind him, Bogg whirled about, extended his hand and yelled. "Wait a minute! Stop!"

Puzzled by Bogg's actions, Will stopped for a moment and looked curiously at the Voyager.

"What?" Will asked.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Bogg warned.

"And why shouldn't I?" Will asked.

Bogg chuckled a bit as he held his bruised ribs. "Why? Because there's someone behind you who's going to stop you."

Will shook his head in disbelief. "You think I'd fall for that one? That's the oldest trick in the book."

"Go ahead then, suit yourself." Bogg taunted.

By this time Masterson had revived and was standing behind Will with the butt of his gun held high in the air. As Will started to take a swing at Bogg, Masterson quickly landed a blow to the back of his head. As his eyes rolled back into his head, like his partner before him, he fell unconscious to the ground.

"Yes sir." Masterson said bluntly. "That may be the oldest trick in the book, but it still works."

"Thank you, sir." Bogg said as he held out his hand. "If it hadn't been for you, I might have ended up on the ground instead of those two."

Masterson took Bogg's hand and shook it. "It's Masterson, Bat Masterson. You can call me Bat."

"Thank you…Bat" Bogg replied.

"No, sir. Thank you." Masterson said with appreciation. "If it hadn't been for your efforts, I might not be alive at the moment."

"What about those two?" Bogg asked. "Shouldn't we tie them up or something?"

"Why bother? They'll be out for a while. Let the rat's feed on them. Earp can deal with them later, that is, if they are still around."

Bogg turned to Masterson and asked. "Are you able to walk?"

"Yea, I'll be ok." Masterson replied. "I just need to get old doc to take a look at the bump on my noggin."

"C'mon then, let's get out of here." Bogg urged.

Bogg and Masterson now battered and bruised, slowly made their way out of the alley and back out onto the street. Mallory and Jeff saw the two as they emerged and ran toward them.

"Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed. "What happened? Are you ok?"

As Jeff ran up beside him, Bogg kneeled in front of his concerned partner and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm ok, kid…" He said as he breathed heavily. "A little battered and bruised, but ok."

"Is this your pa, son?" Masterson asked as he walked up and stood beside them.

"Yes sir!" Jeff acknowledged.

"Well, if it hadn't been for him, two of Allison's men would have taken me out for good.", Masterson said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd say your pa is pretty good with his dukes."

"Wow Bogg! Two against one? I wish I'd been there to see that!"

Bogg smiled a bit as he rubbed his aching head.

"Kid, it was nothing… it's all in a day's work." Bogg replied

Out of nowhere, Allison rode up on his horse and stopped in front of Wright's store.

"Come over here, Wyatt." Allison said gruffly. "I want to talk to you."

Earp stopped in his tracks and turned to face Allison.

"I can hear you just fine right here." Earp yelled. "I think you came here to fight with me and if you did, you can have it right now!"

Masterson picked up his gun and drew a bead on Allison as he continued his conversation with Earp.

"Earp…" Allison continued. "I believe you're a pretty good man from what I've seen of you."

"What?" Earp said somewhat curiously. "Compliments…from a man who threatened to kill me?"

"Do you know these coyotes around here sent for me to make a fight with you and kill you?" Allison asked. "Well, I'm not going to take part in the killing of an innocent man. I'll be on my way now. I wish you good luck."

Allison snapped the reins and rode off down the street with a cloud of dust trailing him.

Masterson turned to the two Voyagers and like the gentlemen he was, politely excused himself.

"My thanks to you sir, for all your help back there." He said. "You know, I didn't catch your names."

Bogg looked at Masterson and introduced himself. "I'm Bogg and this is my son, Jeff."

Masterson reached out and shook Bogg and Jeff's hand. "Thank you Mr. Bogg, Jeff. If there's anything I can do for either of you, just let me know."

"We will, sir." Bogg replied.

"And now… Wyatt and I have some business to attend to here." Masterson said as he began to walk away. "There's a few rotten apples inside Wright's store that need to be disposed of."

As Masterson walked away in search of his friend, Bogg and Jeff were surprised as Mallory approached them.

"Bogg, Jeff… are you two ok?" Mallory asked.

"Yea, I'm ok." Jeff replied. "Bogg's a little beaten up. But he'll be fine."

With Jeff's help, Bogg slowly got to his feet and put his arm on Mallory's shoulder.

"Are we finished here?" Bogg asked woozily.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Mallory exclaimed as he fumbled for his omni. Once he had retrieved it from his belt, he opened it. Much to his surprise, there was a green light.

"Looks like we're finished here." Mallory said as he held the omni up in front of his partners.

"Well, what are we waiting for… Let's get outta this cow town and back to some civilization." Bogg said with a sense of urgency.

"Where to guys?" Mallory asked.

"Back to headquarters." Bogg replied. "It's time for a rest."

Upon setting the dials, Mallory pressed the button and the three vanished.


	12. Great Expectations

**__****VOYAGERS! ****- The Voyager Chronicles  
****OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6  
****(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)  
****By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)  
****December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)  
****Previous disclaimers apply**

**Chapter 11 - GREAT EXPECTATIONS**

Moments later, the three arrived safely back at Voyager Headquarters. Tired and exhausted from their efforts, the three walked down the hallway to the small lounge and went inside to grab some refreshments. With beverages in hand, the three made their way over to the table and sat down. After a few moments of unnerving silence, Mallory spoke up.

"So guys, how did I do?" Mallory asked nervously.

Bogg and Jeff sat there sipping their drinks and did not respond.

"Well?" Mallory exclaimed. "Please say something, anything!"

At that point, Bogg and Jeff responded at the same time and then stopped.

"Go ahead Bogg, you tell him." Jeff urged.

"No, kiddo, you were first. You tell him." Bogg said.

"Obviously something must be wrong here." Mallory said sullenly. "C'mon, one of you, please…If there's something I did wrong, please tell me. I want to know, ok!"

Jeff looked at Mallory and began to speak. "Shawn, it's like this…You did…"

Nervous about his performance on his first mission, Mallory chimed in.

"Let me guess… I did everything wrong!"

Bogg noticed the beads of perspiration building up on Mallory's forehead. Seeing Mallory in this state, he knew this was not the time for one of his pranks.

"Shawn, what the kid is trying to tell you is…Good job!" Bogg said with a smile.

"You're kidding, right?" Mallory asked.

"No, I'm not kidding." Bogg confirmed. "For this to be your first assignment, you actually did a great job."

Mallory wiped the sweat from his brow and sat back in his chair as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew! For a moment there, I thought I'd really messed things up." Mallory confessed.

"Nope, you didn't mess up." Bogg reassured. "You were right on target. And Jeff and I are very proud of you."

"Thanks, guys." Mallory said warmly. "That means a lot to me. What's next for you two, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't know, Shawn." Bogg replied. "I guess we'll know when we get to our next assignment."

"What about tonight?" Mallory asked. "Why don't you two come and have dinner with Roz and I. You know, it's a small token of appreciation for what you both have done for me."

"Do you think Roz will mind?" Bogg asked somewhat concerned. "You know, having two unexpected guests drop by for dinner."

"She won't mind at all. I assure you." Mallory replied.

Bogg glanced over to his partner. "What about it kiddo?"

"Ummm…I guess so." Jeff replied passively.

A look of surprise suddenly came over Bogg. "You guess?" He asked. "Since when have you ever turned down a meal?"

"Ok, OK! You win!" Jeff exclaimed. "YES! Let's go eat!"

"Great!" Mallory exclaimed. "I'll go call Roz and let her know you're coming."

Mallory walked over to a nearby chair and sat down. Next to the chair was a small table with a Visiphone sitting atop it. He reached over and pushed a few buttons and after a moment, the image of his beautiful wife Rosalyn, appeared.

"Shawn?" Roz asked. "Where are you? Are you ok? I've been so worried about you."

"Calm down, honey." He reassured. "We're at headquarters. We just got back from our assignment."

"Oh, what a relief." Roz said. "I heard about the problem in the time vortex. I was so worried for you three."

Mallory, shocked by the fact that Roz knew about their incident in the time vortex, exclaimed. "What? They told you about that? I specifically told Lindsey not to tell you, because I knew it would worry you so."

"I'm sorry, my love. It wasn't her fault." Roz said apologetically. "She didn't want to tell me, but I forced it out of her."

Jeff glanced up at his partner as he nodded his head. "Isn't love grand?"

Bogg chuckled a bit. "Yep, you said it."

"Honey, what I called about is; I've invited Phineas and Jeff over for dinner tonight. Is that ok?" Mallory asked.

"Is it ok?" Roz exclaimed. "Of course it's ok! Besides, there's plenty of food for them."

"Great!" Mallory exclaimed. "We'll be there shortly. I love you, Roz."

"I love you, too, Shawn." Roz replied before her image disappeared from the screen.

"Well, guys, everything's set." Mallory said excitedly. "Shall we be on our way?"

Bogg rose from his seat and walked toward the door. "Kid are you coming?"

"Sure, I wouldn't miss this for the world." Jeff replied.

The three took the elevator to the first floor of the building and walked out to the parking area where Mallory's very compact vehicle was parked. After squeezing themselves inside, he started the vehicle and drove out of the parking lot.

"Shawn, what's with the sardine can?" Bogg teased. "I barely have room for one knee back here, let alone two. You need a bigger vehicle."

"I don't need a bigger vehicle. " Mallory teased as he drove down the road. "You need shorter legs."

"No, seriously, Shawn. You're a married man now. You need a vehicle that reflects that fact." Bogg advised. "This is something a first year Academy student would drive."

Mallory playfully took offense to Bogg's words. "Why should I…get rid of this vehicle?" Mallory asked. "It's reliable…and…economical."

Bogg smiled and started to laugh. "How about, it's too small and Roz will have to be a contortionist to get inside."

"Oh, I must have forgot to tell you, Phineas, Roz IS a contortionist." Mallory said with a chuckle. "She can get in and out of this vehicle with no problems at all. Of course sometimes she gets her big toe stuck in her ear, but, that's just a minor issue."

Jeff looked back at his partner and laughed. "Well, Bogg, I'd say the joke's on you this time."

"Smart kids and small vehicles give me such a pain!" Bogg mumbled.

Moments later, the three arrived at Mallory's apartment. Once Jeff had extracted his partner from the vehicle, the three climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked a few feet to the front door. Mallory retrieved his keycard from his wallet and swiped it across the sensor. After a few clicks, the door opened and the three went inside.

"Wow, Bogg! No keys!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Yea, they don't use keys anymore." Bogg explained. "You have this card thingy that you carry with you. It can open doors, make purchases, peel potatoes and a whole host of other things. I think they call them 'smart cards'."

"Honey, we're here!" Mallory yelled as he walked into the living room.

Roz came through the kitchen door and ran over to greet her husband and their friends.

"Shawn!" Roz exclaimed as she threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're home. I missed you so."

"I've missed you too, Roz!" Mallory said lovingly.

After a moment, Roz released her husband from her grip and walked over to greet Bogg and Jeff.

"Phineas!" She said as she hugged her friend. "It's so good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Roz." Bogg replied. "You look ravishing this evening."

"Oh, Bogg, you are such a flirt!" Roz said bashfully. "Thank you for the compliment, but this apron really does nothing to flatter my figure."

"Really, Roz. I'm not talking about the apron." Bogg said, in a state of bewilderment. "There's something about you…I can't quite put my finger on it, but somehow you seem to be glowing."

"Aww…It's just your imagination." Roz replied as she pulled a towel from her apron pocket and rubbed her face. "I've been in the kitchen all afternoon. It's probably just some stray flour that landed on my cheeks."

Roz walked over and put her arms around Jeff and kissed him on the cheek. "And Jeff, it's good to see you again too. How's the voice?"

"It's ok…" Jeff said as his cheeks flushed with color. "The squeaking comes and goes."

Roz turned to her guests and began to speak.

"Why don't you three go into the living room and relax for a while." She urged. "Dinner will be ready in a little bit."

"What are we having, hon?" Mallory asked.

"Your favorites." She announced as she held back her laughter. "Fried rattlesnake, smothered in gravy with a side of grits."

"WHAT?" Mallory exclaimed as his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Bogg and Jeff were now bent over with laughter. Little did they realize, Roz had been watching their mission unfold from Mission Control.

"You've got to be kidding, right?" Mallory asked.

"Nope, that's what we're having." Roz teased. "I heard it was your all-time favorite, so I thought I'd try my hand at preparing it."

"How did you know?" Mallory asked.

"Hon, it's a secret." Roz replied mysteriously. "Besides, a woman never reveals her secrets. It's a woman thing, you know."

Mallory stood in the middle of the room, silent, stunned by the whole episode as Roz, without saying another word, turned and walked through the door into the kitchen. Bogg and Jeff, realizing their partner needed some support before he eventually passed out from the shock, put their arm around him and escorted him over to the sofa.

A confused look came over Mallory. "How did she know?"

At that point, Bogg remembered the little prank the three women had pulled on him earlier from the confines of Mission Control.

"Shawn, all I can say is you better be on your best behavior at all times." Bogg warned.

"Why?" Mallory asked.

"Because there are eyes everywhere." Bogg teased. "And I do mean…EVERYWHERE!"

After a while, Roz emerged from the dining room and summoned them to the table.

"Guys, dinner is ready."

Bogg, Jeff and Mallory stood up and made their way into the dining room. After taking their seats, they all joined hands, bowed their heads and gave thanks for the food that was set before them.

Mallory turned to his loving wife and asked. "Ok, what are we really having for dinner tonight?"

"I told you, hon. Rattlesnake!" Roz teased. "Here, let me take the cover off it and you can see for yourself.

Roz stood up and with a mischievous smile, reached over and removed the cover from a beautiful serving dish. Much to Mallory's surprise, it was not the fried rattlesnake he had anticipated. It was his favorite dish, veal parmesan.

"Whew!" Mallory exclaimed. "You had me worried there, hon. I thought I was gonna have to go out and get me a burger or something. I knew there was no way I could eat rattlesnake."

"Gotcha!" Roz teased. "I was just having a little bit of fun with the love of my life."

"Is that what I think it is?" Jeff asked. "Veal parmesan?"

"Yes, Jeff, that's what it is." Roz replied. "It's Shawn's favorite."

"You said it." Shawn acknowledged. "Mom used to make it for me all the time when I was a kid. Do you like it, Jeff?"

"Like it? I love it!" Jeff exclaimed.

"What about you Phineas?"

"I love it, too." Bogg replied.

After an hour of good food, lively conversation and a whole lot of camaraderie, Roz rose from the table and walked into the kitchen. Moments later she emerged with a chocolate cake and placed it on the table.

"Anyone for dessert?" She asked.

"No, no!" Bogg responded as he sat back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. "I don't think I can eat another bite."

"What about you, Jeff?" She asked. "Care for a slice?"

"No thank you Roz. I'm soooo full."

"Shawn? Want a piece? It's good and chocolaty!" She teased.

"No thanks, hon." Mallory replied. "I'll have a piece later, ok."

"Suit yourself." Roz said as she cut a huge slice of cake and placed it on her plate.

Bogg and Jeff, shocked by the size of the piece of cake on Roz's plate, stared at her as she began to rapidly shovel it into her mouth.

Mallory too was stunned by Roz's enormous appetite. Before she had went to the kitchen for the cake, Roz had already eaten two pieces of veal parmesan, two helpings of salad, three rolls and an enormous helping of green beans. She had washed all that down with two glasses of iced tea as well. After all that, she was now about to eat a quarter of an entire chocolate cake. He knew something was not right about this, since Roz was normally a nibbler. She would nibble at this and that, hardly ever consuming large portions of anything. Concerned at this point, he lovingly asked her about it.

"Hon?" Mallory asked.

"Yes Shawn." Roz replied before shoving a huge piece of cake into her mouth.

"I really don't know how to put this…but…" Mallory said as he tried his best not to hurt his wife's feelings. "Have you been eating while I've been away?"

"Why yes, I've been eating quite well as of late."

Puzzled by Roz's response, he continued. "Are you sure? You seem as if you haven't eaten in a week or so."

Roz looked down at the huge slice of cake on her plate, glanced back at her husband and then started to laugh.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry." She said softly. "There's something I forgot to tell you."

Mallory jumped up from the table, walked over and put his arm around Roz.

"What is it… are you ok?" Mallory asked, nervously. "Do we need to take you to Voyager Medical and have them check you out?"

"No Shawn, I've already been there." Roz replied warmly. "I'm just fine…except…"

"Except for what?" Mallory asked impatiently. "Tell me Roz. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine honey, I'm just eating for two." Roz said as her eyes twinkled.

"You're what?" Mallory asked, as he nodded his head. "Run that one by me again?"

"Oh, I'm fine honey." Roz teased.

"No, not that… the last part." Mallory asked curiously.

"Oh, you mean the part about I'm eating for two now..." Roz replied.

"You mean…" Mallory said excitedly.

"Yes, we're going to have a baby!" Roz cried out.

Mallory hugged his wife and kissed her chocolate covered lips.

"Phineas, did you hear? We're having a baby!"

Bogg and Jeff got up from their seats, ran over to their friends and congratulated them on their wonderful news.

"Congratulations!" Bogg exclaimed as he shook Mallory's hand. "Looks like we have another Voyager recruit on the way."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, now, Phineas." Roz teased. "It's going to be a few years before he'll be old enough to roam the universe with Shawn."

"We're having a baby!" Mallory replied excitedly. "I just can't believe it!"

Mallory turned to Roz. "Roz, honey, do you know when?" He asked.

"Six months from now." Roz said with glee.

"Did they tell you…I mean…Is it a boy or a girl?" Mallory asked.

"They did…It's a boy!" Roz replied.

"Oh my… I'm gonna have a son!"

Bogg put his arm around Mallory and teased him a bit.

"You know, Shawn, I told you someday you were gonna have a son and partner like mine." Bogg said with a smile.

"I know…but I didn't expect it to happen this quickly." Mallory replied still in a state of shock.

Bogg put his arm around Jeff and hugged him. "If you need to practice your parenting skills, you can borrow Jeff for a while to help you with that."

"Bogg!!" Jeff exclaimed. "I thought you said you'd never leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere kiddo." Bogg explained. "I just want Shawn to have a chance to experience what it's like to have a smart kid around, giving him a pain all the time. You know, just for a little while, to get him broken in."

"Oh no!" Jeff exclaimed. "I don't think so…I only have one dad at this point, that's you! You can't get rid of me that easily. You're stuck with me, like gum on the bottom of your shoe…, like moss on a rock, like craters on the moon, like…like…"

Bogg reached down and picked up his son in his arms. "Like PB and J. Right?"

"Right!" Jeff replied. "Like PB and J."

-------THE END -------


End file.
